21 Days in Prison
by PerryGirl110
Summary: Austin and Ally are both looking forward to summer vacation, where they can just focus on their music and hang out with their friends. What happens when both their parents sign them up for an academic sleep-away camp? Are they bound for a boring summer, or is being together enough to give them the experience of a lifetime? TONS of fluffy auslly :D
1. Introduction

**Hey everybody! This is just a little introduction to my new fanfic "21 Days in Prison." Not including this, its going to have 21 chapters, each with a TON of auslly. Enjoy! :D**

Somehow, the air seemed lighter.

Fresher. Cleaner.

The grass was greener. Brighter.

The cloudless sky, blue and clear, caressed the sun as it shone with no obstructions, its gentle glow silently heating up its most lively planet. A gentle breeze blowing across the Earth, cooling down the temperature to a comforting warmth.

Everything just felt…. perfect. As if it were all too good to be true. And indeed, as Ally Dawson and Austin Moon were about to find out, it was.

The sixteen-year-old girl skipped out of school, a bright smile marked on her beautiful features. Though she was known to love her education, she was just as happy as the next when the closing bell finally rang out on the last day of school, signaling the beginning of summer vacation.

Gathering up her books, she had swiftly stuffed them into her backpack and rushed out of the building, eager to feel the soft rays of the sun against her face and breath the clear, summer air.

Austin too was quite happy this time of day. As soon as his ears had picked up the ringing of the bell he had jumped up from his desk, from which he had been sleeping in just seconds earlier, and sprinted outside. He ran across the lawn of the school, and for the first time in nine months, he felt free. Completely and utterly free. No more school, no more books, no more anything. Just him, his friends, and his music. That was all. And he liked it that way.

At a near distance, the female brunette spotted her blond companion running across the field. With a smile and a gentle roll of the eyes, she started to laugh.

"Austin!" she called to him, still laughing, "What on Earth are you doing?!"

Hearing her call, Austin turned to face her. He too began to laugh. Smiling, he started to beckon Ally with a quick little hand motion, begging her to come to him.

She rolled her eyes, but still she came stampeding towards him. Her hair flew behind her and her laugh rung out in the afternoon air as she raced towards the blond boy who knew her so well.

As Ally came to him, he opened up his arms. Gladly, she ran into them. Pulling her into a hug, he spun her around, making her laugh even harder. Suddenly, Austin lost his balance. Both him and Ally flew towards the ground, landing on the soft cushion of grass. Giggling like crazy, Ally rolled on top of Austin. They both laid there, on the cool grass, staring into each other's eyes and lightly laughing. Finally, Ally pulled away.

"Why does the first day of summer always make us do the weirdest things?" she asked through her fits of giggles.

Austin shrugged, "I don't know," he said with a smile, "but don't pretend you don't like it."

He attempted to pull her back onto him. Ally giggled, but pushed him away.

"Come on, Austin," she said cheerily as she got to her feet, "We're supposed to meet Trish and Dez at Mini's now. Lets go!"

She grabbed his hand and helped to pull him off the ground. Just then did she notice that there were other students around her. They too, were enjoying the first day of summer. She blushed a deep pink when she realized that they all had witnessed she and Austin making fools out of themselves. Austin, however, didn't even seem to care. Smiling like always, he chatted happily to his best friend as they made their way to the mall.

In less than ten minutes, they had reached their destination. With keen eyes, Ally spotted the short Latino and stalky red head sitting at one of the tables in the back.

"Trish!" she called happily, "Dez! We're over here!"

They both turned and waved as they saw the approaching pair.

"Thank god you guys are here," Trish said with a sigh, "Dez has been telling me about his old goldfish Fluffy for nearly fifteen minutes now…"

Austin and Ally laughed out loud as they took a seat. The four teens sat for nearly two hours, talking and laughing about times past, while at the same time discussing all the new things they'd do the upcoming weeks.

Finally, Ally stood up. "This has been really fun, guys," she said with a smile, "But I really have to get back to the store now. See you tomorrow!"

"Yeah," Austin said, starting to stand, "I gotta go too. I'll walk with you half way, Als."

She smiled at him and the two began to walk to Sonic Boom. As they reached a fork in the road the two separated, Ally making her way to the mall while Austin headed towards his neighborhood.

Soon, Ally had reached the store. As she approached the glass door, however, she was met with a strange site.

Inside the building sat Lester Dawson, Ally's cheap, but very lovable, father. Ally was taken a back by the gigantic smile stretched across his face. She couldn't remember the last time she saw him this excited.

"Um… hi dad," she said hesitantly, as she entered the store, "What's going on?"

"The best thing just happened!" her father nearly shouted back at her, "We're going to save so much money!"

"Uh oh…." Ally began nervously, "You aren't going to start paying me in chicken fingers again, are you?"

Lester laughed loudly. "No not this time…. though I do like the idea," he began with a smile, "Something even better!"

"Then what?" Ally asked, annoyance and anticipation in her voice, "Just tell me already!"

"You…. Got… A SCHOLARSHIP!" Lester yelled excitedly.

"A what?"

"A SCHOLARSHIP! TO CAMP!"

"To camp? What kind of camp gives scholarships?"

"THIS ONE!" Lester shouted, holding out the brochure so that his confused daughter could see it, "Camp Westerson! It's one of the top twenty best academic camps in the country! They gave away scholarships to the top 20 scorers on the math state test in the region, and you were one of them! Think of how much you could learn! And best of all…. It's free!"

Ally let out a nervous laugh.

"Uhhh… that's great and all, Dad, but I don't really want to go to sleep-away camp this summer, I was kinda hoping to just stay home and focus on my music. You know, because my career is finally taking off!"

"But dear, you're going to LOVE this camp! It has math, and science, and english, and social studies, and pretty much everything you love!"

"But it doesn't have music…"

"Oh come on, Ally. It's only for three weeks, I'm sure you can survive without music for that long. Plus, I heard its great for colleges. Maybe you can get a scholarship for that too!"

Ally sighed. Somehow, she knew she had already lost this battle. You just couldn't argue with her dad when it came to money….

"Fine dad, I'll go. But you owe me big time…. When am I going?"

"Tomorrow!"

"TOMORROW?"

"YEP! You better start packing!"

* * *

A few blocks away, Austin had finally reached his house and was just now walking through the familiar door into his bedroom.

Happily, he tossed his backpack out of the open window. He didn't need it anymore anyway…

Jumping on top of his bed, with arms outstretched, Austin gently began to fall asleep, his eyelids fluttering closed as he let out a satisfied sigh. If was still pretty early, only about six, but he figured he might as well catch up on his missing sleep now. Now that it was summer, he intended to stay up as late as possible every single night.

His bedtime thoughts slowly melted into a swirl of dreams. Through his eyes he could see it all: Waves crashing down on the shore as he and Dez attempted to surf them. The flashing lights and lasers as he played a rousing game of laser tag with Trish. Him and Ally, sitting on the piano bench, playing a beautiful love song while they slowly leaned closer and closer, closing off the space between them, until finally…..

BANG!

The door to his room burst open, shocking Austin awake from his pleasant dreamland. He looked up to see who had entered his room and saw, with disappointed eyes, his two parents standing under the doorway. His father smiled at him awkwardly, and his mother was clenching her fists. Something was definitely not right…

"Uh…. Hi mom. Hi dad. What's up?"

They continued to stare at him nervously. Silence filled the room, nearly chocking Austin with its intensity. He waited patiently for them to say something, an air of anxiousness hidden inside him. What was happening?

Finally, Mimi sighed. She knew that it was now or never, she had to tell him.

"Look Austin, honey, we have something we need to talk to you about." She attempted to speak with authority, but her voice was shaking at the thought of sending her baby so far away….

"Well what is it?" Asked Austin curiously.

This time, his father spoke. "Well, the thing is, your grades have really gone down this school year…. Because of your music."

"I thought we already talked about this! I know that I ended off the year badly, but that's over now! Let's just focus on the summer ahead!"

Mimi sighed again. "Your father and I have been talking and…. We think you need some help with learning."

Austin groaned, "Sure, whatever. Get me a tutor once school starts up again, or something. But that's so far away! Can't you guys just let me focus on summer vacation right now?"

Loudly, Mike cleared his voice. "No, Austin, we can't."

Austin was scared now. "W-What do you mean?"

Mimi closed her eyes, and softly began to explain. "Well you see, we were talking to Lester a few days ago, and he told us about this amazing camp he signed Ally up for! It's based on academics and has all sorts of fun ways to learn!"

Austin eyes widened in shock. He didn't like where this was going.

"Due to your below average grades this year, me and your father thought it might be a good way to help you—"

"NO!" Austin interrupted, "Don't tell me you did what I think you did! Please don't say you signed me up for it!"

"We're sorry, Austin," Mike said kindly, "But we think it could really help you. There's no arguing. Your going to that camp, no matter what."

Austin's mouth gaped open in shock. Again, silence filled the room.

"You leave tomorrow," whispered Mimi sadly. The two then left the room, leaving Austin to drown in his own horror.

**This chapter is kinda rushed, but remember, its just an introduction. I know my story kinda has a lot of plot wholes in it (what camp starts the day after school ends?), but honestly i just don't feel like fixing them. So, if you want me to continue, please review and tell me! :D**


	2. Day 1

DAY ONE

Ally sighed. This was where she was going to spend the next three weeks of her life…

In front of her stood a large building. Swiftly, she looked it up and down. It was made from head to toe out of large, grey bricks, giving it the overall appearance of some sort of castle. The roof was covered in red and grey shingles, not one of which was broken or damaged, each shining as if they were brand new. In terms of size, it appeared to be only slightly bigger than her school. She figured the extra size had something to do with the dorms and bathrooms that the camp probably had to include. On the right of the building stood a giant lake. Covered in a light layer of algae, it literally swam with life… and bacteria. Behind the lake, she could just barely see a large piece of land, containing a soccer field, tennis court, and swimming pool. She sighed again…. It seemed like the only thing this camp DIDN'T have was music.

Slowly, she turned to the boy sitting next to her on the wooden bench. He gave her a soft smile.

"It was… um… really nice of your parents to offer to drive me here," she stated awkwardly. Mike and Mimi, knowing of Lester's need to watch the store, had kindly agreed to drive Ally as a thank-you to Lester for telling them about the Westerson Academy. Throughout the entire ride, Austin and Ally had sat in silence. Their usually chattiness was deteriorated by the fact that Mike and Mimi could hear every single word they said. Silently, for the full three-hour drive, they listened to music on Austin's phone, their heads pressed together so as not to out stretch their earphones. They didn't arrive until 4'oclock, and with the welcome assembly, handing out of schedules, and camp dinner, it was nearly 7 before they had time to talk.

"No problem, Ally," he replied gently. The two sat in silence again, an air of disgruntlement between them.

Suddenly, Mimi came rushing up to them. She had been talking to one of the councilors about some of the academic activities of camp, and was now as excited as ever.

"It's time for me to leave now, Austy," she said in a sad, concerned voice, "Mommy is going to miss you. Make sure you brush your teeth twice a day. And don't forget to actually study. And use sunscreen! And—"

"Moooommm…" Austin complained, embarrassment apparent in his voice, "Not in front of Ally…."

Mimi laughed. "Ok ok, I'll go now. Bye, Austin! Have fun!" Quickly, she pulled him into a crushing hug.

"You have fun too, Ally!" she said happily as she got up to leave, "I'm sure you two are going to have a great time."

In a flash, Mimi jumped into the car, with Mike already waiting. The two waved as they drove off. Ally gave a weak smile at them, but Austin stayed straight-faced. He was still angry at the fact that they'd send him away without a second thought! He pouted to himself, staring at the ground.

Ally giggled to herself. Despite how disappointed she felt at the idea of spending twenty-one days in a brick prison, she couldn't help but think to herself how cute her best friend looked when pouting.

"Come on, Austin," she finally said to him, breaking the silence, "I know going to an academic camp isn't the way you were expecting to spend your summer vacation, trust me it wasn't for me either, but that doesn't mean we can't still have fun! I mean, we're together, aren't we?" She chuckled awkwardly to herself, rubbing the back of her neck in discomfort.

Austin suddenly smiled brightly. "Yeah, I guess your right Als," he said excitedly, "I mean, I can't really ask for more than to spend the entire summer with my best friend, can I?"

Ally blushed. "Let's go to our rooms now," she said happily, holding out the keys that the councilors had given them, "We can help each other unpack."

Austin nodded, and the two began walking through the glass front doors. Once entering the building, the two continued to walk through the spider-web of hallways for nearly twenty minutes.

"How are we EVER going to get to class on time in this place?" asked Ally.

"Who says we're going to go to class?" replied Austin mischievously, half joking, half serious.

Ally laughed lightly but stopped in her tracks as she came to a door marked "GIRL DORMS."

"Well, I assume this is where my room is going to be," she said to Austin, before pushing the door and going inside, with Austin at her heels.

The door led to a large, seemingly endless hallway. Its light purple walls were lined with white doors at nearly every point. Ally looked back to her key. Inscribed on its handle was the number 214. She looked back at the doors and noticed the numbers above each of them.

"208… 210… 212…. Here we are! 214!"

Sticking her key in the lock, she turned her wrist until she heard a click. Gently, she turned the handle to her door and walked in. Austin quickly followed.

Inside was exactly what she would have expected a dorm to look like. The small square room was covered from head to foot in light purple wallpaper that matched the hallway. It had one window all the way on the far side of the room, sitting directly over a dresser with six drawers. The middle of the room was taken over by a fuzzy white carpet dressed over the wooden floorboards. On both the right and left sides of the room were identical twin beds. The only difference between the two was that the one on the left was neat and untouched, while the one on the right was currently being used…

Ally was shocked for a second, but quickly recovered. Of course she had a roommate! What was she thinking? This camp probably had hundreds of campers. They wouldn't have enough space to give everybody their own room! She laughed at her foolishness, before quickly approaching the strange girl.

"Uhh… Hi. I'm Ally," she said loudly, trying to muster as much cheer into her voice as she could, "I think we're roommates."

The girl looked up from the book she had been reading. Ally took note of her straight, black hair and intelligent, light-blue eyes. She had a long, straight nose with thin, pencil lips and big, almond eyes. Her skin was pale, nearly ghostly white. On her face she wore big, red glasses, which clashed against her sci-fi t-shirt, ripped blue jeans, and mismatched socks. She had a very unusual appearance, but somehow Ally found herself liking her already. She seemed…. unique.

"Oh hi," the girl said to Ally, eyeing her girly dress and high heels with discontentment, "I'm Amanda." Suddenly she spotted Austin. He was standing awkwardly behind Ally, feeling slightly out of place. Amanda eyed him suspiciously.

"Is he even allowed in here?" she asked skeptically, "This is the GIRL'S dormitory, is it not?"

Austin chuckled awkwardly.

"Don't worry," Ally replied quickly, "He's not staying, he's just helping me unpack."

Amanda shrugged and went back to her book, getting lost back into a world of fantasy.

"Come on Austin, let's get unpacking," Ally told him as soon as she was sure the girl was no longer listening, "We have to hurry if we're gonna get to your room in time.

Austin and Ally quickly sat down on the floor and unzipped Ally's suitcase. They discovered that the three drawers on the right side of the dresser were filled with Amanda's clothes, while the left side was left open for her.

"That was nice of her," Ally said cheerily. Austin laughed and rolled his eyes at her ability to always see the best in people. It was just so…. cute.

For the next two hours, Austin and Ally chatted happily as they worked at putting away Ally's clothing at a backbreakingly slow pace. For those two hours, the two were actually happy. It felt as if they weren't even in camp at all, as if they were back home in Miami, talking and playing like always.

The talk was nearly non-stop, only slowing down during one awkward moment when Austin pulled out an article of Ally's clothing from her suitcase, only to find that it was a bright pink bra. Blushing profusely, he dropped the bra as if it were a bag of snakes and looked down at the ground apologetically. Also blushing, Ally picked up the bra, as well as all her other ones, and shoved them in the top drawer.

After the awkwardness had passed, the two continued to talk until a loud announcement shocked them out of their shared trance.

"Hello campers," a female voice boomed from the speakers, "It is now 9:30, please report back to your rooms."

Ally and Austin looked at each other.

"Well, I guess I have to go now, Als," Austin said as he stood.

Ally nodded, "Sorry we didn't have enough time to pack up your stuff Austin, I can help you tomorrow if you want."

Austin shook his head. "Naw, its fine. I can just do it tonight."

Ally smiled at him, "Well, I guess I'll see you tomorrow then."

Austin waved and slowly exited the room, Ally watching him as he walked away.

When he was gone, Amanda suddenly spoke up.

"Is he your boyfriend?"

"WHAT!? Austin? No way! We're just friends. Just friends, that's all!"

"But you like him, right?"

"Whhaaaaatttttt? No, I don't like him! What makes you think that. That's ridiculous! STOP ASKING ME SO MANY QUESTIONS!"

Amanda rolled her eyes. "Well, ok then," she replied in an unbelieving tone, "If you say so…"


	3. Day 2

**Hey everybody! I just want to thank you all so much for reviewing! I promise you guys, I read every single review I get and they all really make my day! So thanks! :D :D. I kinda forget to leave an author's note last chapter, so i just wanna let you know (though im sure I already made this clear) that Austin and Ally are NOT dating currently in my fanfic. Right now they are just friends. Anyway, I don't want to stall you any longer, so enjoy!**

Day Two

"Uhhggggggg, Five more minutes…."

Austin sleepily threw one hand in the air, waving it around to shoo off the intruder who, at this very moment, was trying half-heartedly to wake him. When that didn't work, he grabbed his pillow and slid it over his face, drowning out the light that was flooding the darkness of his eyelids.

"Dude, come on. Wake up! We have class in, like, twenty minutes."

At first, Austin didn't recognize the voice. Too deep to be Dez. Too boyish to be Trish. Definitely not Ally. His general confusion was what caused his to look up from his soft, cotton pillow into the unfamiliar face in front of him, staring bleary-eyed at the strange room surrounding him.

In a flash, it hit him. The memories of last night, flooding into his mind, crashing into his confusion and stopping it cold-turkey.

The camp. The dorms. The Ally.

He smiled slightly at the thought of the night they had had. Laughing. Talking. Just like old times.

After he had exited her dorm, he had walked through the school looking for his own. Using the crumpled map he had stored in his pocket, Austin navigated the hallways for ten minutes before coming upon the door marked with the big, blue letters "BOYS DORM." After entering, he came to the conclusion that this hallway was nearly identical to the girl's, with the exception of blue wallpaper in place of the purple. If it had to be separate, at least it was equal….

Soon enough, he had found his door and entered his room, only to be met with the sight of a new roommate.

Austin remembered looking this kid up and down. His messy, black hair swept over his forehead, curling slightly at the tips. He had small, green eyes with bushy eyebrows and a huge, shining smile. His lips were full and pink, giving him the appearance of someone Austin might expect to find in a teenage vampire movie. His chin was thin, yet defined, and in terms of height he seemed to be only slightly shorter than Austin himself. Overall, he looked like a pretty cool kid.

As he had entered the room, the black-haired kid had looked up from his laptop screen and smiled at him. He was wearing bulky headphones, sitting in the corner of the room. As Austin moved forward the kid pulled his headphones off and greeted him.

"Hey dude! Are you my roommate?" the kid said, a little TOO enthusiastically.

Austin nodded. Somehow, this guy's overly friendly disposition was creeping him out a little….

"Cool," said the kid, "I'm Bryan. And you are?"

"Austin. Austin Moon."

The kid raised his eyebrows. "That name sounds familiar. Have I met you before?"

Austin shook his head.

Bryan laughed and jokingly asked, "You famous or somethin'?"

Before Austin could respond, Bryan cut in. "In case your wondering what I'm doing with this stuff, I'm designing a videogame right now," he said cheerily, gesturing towards his laptop, as well as the pile of cords and plugs besides him, for which Austin only just noticed, "I'll probably be up all night, just warning you. Don't worry, I won't keep you up though. I'll keep to myself."

This time, it was Austin's turn to raise his eyebrows. "Don't you need to sleep?" he had asked, confused, "We have classes tomorrow, you know."

Bryan shrugged. "I don't usually sleep anyway. I get four hours a night, tops."

Austin's eyes widened. He opened his mouth to ask a question, before closing it again. This conversation could last a while, and he needed to sleep now. After shoving his clothes in the dresser and brushing his teeth in the boy's shared bathroom, Austin hopped into bed, preparing himself for a long night of sleep. A long night of sleep that never came.

All night long, he rolled along in bed. He couldn't sleep, couldn't get comfortable, couldn't get _HER_ off his mind. For some reason, she just seemed to be stuck there. Her charming smile, refreshing laugh, glistening eyes, just… EVERYTHING. It was all in his brain. Swimming. Dancing around. Teasing him with the image of a girl he couldn't have.

It scared him. The fact that he liked her so much. The fact that he couldn't get her image of perfection to leave his brain. They were friends. JUST FRIENDS. Friends don't think lay awake at night thinking about each other, do they?

Eventually, sleep did come though. At around one in the morning….

And now, here he was. Laying in bed and groaning as his newly found roommate attempted to drag him out from under the covers.

Though his body ached, screaming for the warmth and softness that had so recently hugged him, he pushed forward, setting his bare feet against the bare, wooden floor.

"Finally," sighed Bryan, "I've been trying to wake you for, like, an hour."

After quickly getting dressed, fiercely brushing his teeth, and slipping on his "summer backpack" as his mom called it, Austin was out the door and ready to go. He followed Bryan, who seemed to know exactly where he was going.

"You've been here before?" asked Austin curiously.

"Three years," replied Bryan, "Trust me bro, once you come here, you never go back."

Austin nodded, though he seriously doubted that.

"So um… where are we going first?" Austin asked.

"Breakfast," Bryan said with a smile.

A minute later, Austin was thrust into a gigantic cafeteria. A hundred kids, laughing and chatting, walked around, picking up their breakfast and getting themselves seated in dozens of circular tables spread around the room.

Austin opened his mouth to say something to Bryan, but his thoughts were quickly deferred by the overwhelming smell of pancakes. As fast as a racecar, Austin rushed over to the counters where the councilors were serving the food. Grabbing a tray, he began to pile pancakes on top of it. He closed his eyes, breathing the deliciously sweet smell of the fried dough surrounding him. He let himself relax for a simple second, releasing the tension in every single one of his muscles. Suddenly, at his most vulnerable moment, he was attacked.

No, not attacked. Hugged.

Immediately, he knew it was Ally. He could feel her. Her soft hands resting gently on the curve between his head and his soldiers. Her small, yet strong arms wrapped around his neck and chest. Her quick, warm breaths hitting his back in gentle, repeated strokes. Her touch, her warmth, made him fell a thousand times better than any pancake could ever do. Trying his best to hold on to the sensation, he smiled warmly and turned around to face his best friend.

"Hey, Ally." He said with a laugh.

"Hi Austin!" She giggled at him.

She was dressed in a bright red blouse, with a cute, white shirt ending slightly above her knees. She wore two red, butterfly barrettes in her hair and white, slip on shoes. Austin couldn't help but faun over the fact that she looked absolutely adorable.

As soon as she saw his shining face, Ally let go of him and immediately started to babble.

"So how did you sleep, Austin? Honestly, I didn't sleep very well at all. I couldn't get to bed until midnight! I guess I just had too much on my mind. Haha, don't ask though. Kinda personal…. Oh but don't worry about me being tired, its ok! Amanda ordered me some coffee from the drink bar over there! Did you know how good coffee is? Because I didn't! I'VE HAD LIKE SEVEN CUPS ALREADY!"

Austin laughed at her hyper-ness. Swiftly, he grabbed the cup from her hand and threw it in the trash.

"That's enough caffeine for today, don't you think?"

She giggled cheerily, before grabbing his hand. "Let's go sit down now. Amanda and I saved you a seat!"

Ally led him over to a circular table with five chairs around it. On one chair sat Amanda, her nose still buried in a book. Next to her was an empty chair with a cute, red book bag hanging off the edge. Like he had guessed, that was where Ally sat. Austin quickly pulled out a chair and sat beside her. The rest of the table appeared to be empty. He figured this was a good thing, just in case Bryan decided to join. Which, as Austin predicted, he did.

During the entire breakfast, the four kids did entirely different things. Amanda indulged her self in her paper-back. Bryan took at his laptop, doing what Austin presumed to be working on his videogame. All Ally did was talk. And Austin…. well, he listened.

The blond boy sat smiling as Ally babbled on and on, chatting nonstop. The mix of too much coffee, and the fact that she talked too much in general, made her ramble like Austin had never heard before. But of course he didn't mind. He just loved hearing her talk…. even if it was about complete nonsense.

After about twenty minutes, a bell rang, signaling class. The four kids quickly got up and shuffled to the garbage chute to empty their trays. Austin and Ally glanced at their schedules, comparing them to each other's.

"Great, we have almost all of our classes together!" Ally said enthusiastically, still hyper from all the caffeine coursing through her veins.

Following Bryan, who they were lucky enough to have their first class with, the two eventually found their way to their first classroom: Marine Biology. Austin and Ally sat down in desks that were side to side, and just like that, the day went on.

The two went from class to class, bored as ever. Ally, being herself, watched the teachers' every move, jotting down notes every once in a while. Though she'd rather be anywhere else at the moment, she couldn't help but be engaged in the lesson. That was just who she was; there was no way around it. Austin, however, was in a different world. He paid no attention what-so-ever to the councilors' endless babble, resting his head on the palm of his hand and boredly playing with Ally's fingers as she used the others to write. He daydreamed about the fun he _could_ have been having if his parents hadn't insisted on sending him to this stupid camp…

After what seemed like forever to Austin, but was in reality was only a few hours, the classes stopped for a lunch break. The pair quickly grabbed their lunch and shuffled out the door, picnicking on the soft, green grass outside under the shade of a large oak tree. The day was so wonderful this afternoon, with gentle streams of sunlight pouring out onto the fauna covered field. Austin sighed, hating the fact that he had to spend such an awesome day like this under the confinement of summer school. Of course it wasn't ACTUALLY summer school, but for all the fun it gave Austin it might have well as been.

Ally sighed as well. The soft whistling of the wind was nice and all, but it was nothing compared to the strong, powerful beat of her piano back home. It had only been two days, and yet she missed it so much. Writing music, playing songs, singing melodies. Music was in her blood, it coursed through her veins, she NEEDED it. Ally wasn't sure how much longer she could last in this sad, music-less world. Obviously, not long.

After lunch was over, the two went back to class up until four-o'clock. When class was finished, they spent an hour and a half outside in the sun, quietly talking before they were called for dinner. At around seven, the two separated and returned to their dorms. Depression was riding over them. They just didn't feel like hanging out tonight….

Ally was worried. She had told Austin that as long as they were together they'd manage to have an awesome time. But now, she wasn't so sure.

Back at his room, Austin plopped down on his bed and groaned. He could have just laid there all day, if Bryan hadn't interrupted his complaining.

"So…that girl, Ally…." Bryan began slowly.

"What about her?" Asked Austin promptly, encouraging him to continue.

"Are you two, like, a thing?"

"A thing?" Austin asked, surprise in his voice, a blush creeping up on his face "As in dating? No! Of course not! We're just friends, trust me."

"Really?" Bryan asked, excitement in his voice, "Well then dibs!"

"WHAT!? What do you mean dibs?"

"I mean that I call her. As in so we can date."

"What! No way! You can't date Ally! I WON'T LET YOU!"

Bryan widened his eyes in surprise. "Well why on Earth not?"

"Well… um," Austin began sheepishly, "You're…. just…. not the right guy for her. Yeah, that's right! She'd never go for you!"

Bryan laughed. He wasn't what some would call the "expert" on romance, but he knew it when he saw it. "Okay dude, you win. I'll back off. And don't worry bro, I'll keep my promise. I don't go for another guy's girl."

Before Austin could object, Bryan had slipped his bulky headphones over his ears and was intoxicated into his computer. Austin sighed, but then smiled. Something about what Bryan said had just made him really happy. He wasn't sure why…

**Okay, so I know this chapter wasn't the most interesting, auslly-filled one, but I promise you it gets better. Its just that I needed to introduce the schedule of the camp and this was the best way to do it. From now on, my chapters are going to drown you in feels! Pinky promise :)**


	4. Day 3

DAY THREE

The same. All the same.

She had been at this camp for no more than three days and was already bored with it. Bored with the tired, repeated schedule she followed each day. Bored with the same old classes taught by the same old teachers. Bored with the drab curriculum and the tiny, square classrooms. Bored of it all.

She couldn't understand why she was feeling this way. Of course, this was an academic camp, after all. She knew she'd be bored of it eventually. But why so soon? How was it even possible to be bored of something after seeing it only twice? Why was she feeling this way?

Whatever it was that made her this bored, Ally didn't like it. If she was going to spend the next three weeks of her life here, she might as well just try to enjoy it. Whatever was making her feel this way was leading her down the road of a disastrous summer. She didn't like it, she didn't like it at all.

The day had went on the same as yesterday. She had woken up, gone to breakfast, went to classes, ate lunch, went back to classes, ate dinner, and so on. And now, here she was. Walking around mindlessly behind the building. This was her free time, yet she had absolutely nothing to do. She thought about hanging out with Austin, but she wasn't sure where he was. Probably back in his room with Bryan. She missed him already, but she wasn't sure why.

As Ally walked across the grass, she was suddenly struck with a strange desire. She made no hesitation fulfilling it. Quickly, she kicked off her shoes and placed them in her purse, setting her bare foot against the cool grass. It felt nicer than she thought it would. She smiled at the feeling of the soft blades between her toes. This was summer, she thought. Standing in the sun, barefoot. Grass beneath your feet. Heat beating across your face. Shorts and a sleeveless t-shirt covering as little as your body as possible while still being modest. The whoosh of the wind and chirp of the birds in the background. This was what summer was supposed to be.

At least she wasn't missing EVERYTHING….

As Ally walked on aimlessly, not knowing where she intended to go, something caught the corner of her eye. She debated whether or not to pay it any attention, but considering the fact that she had nothing of importance to do anyway, she figured she might as well. As she turned, a gasp of excitement escaped her lips. In her vision, just within her view, she spotted a white-net hammock swinging near a group of trees. She hadn't seen one for years. It brought back memories of summers past.

It made her smile.

To Ally, the sight of a hammock made her think of her mom. Years back, before the two had gotten divorced, Lester had given Penny, Ally's mom, a hammock for mother's day. Penny and Ally had then spent the entire day swinging and talking under the shade of the trees as Lester took care of their every whim. It was such a fond memory for Ally, one of such peace and contentment, that she couldn't help but be reminded of it every time she glimpsed the hammock swinging in the sun. It was only until a few years ago when a huge hurricane hit Miami and blew the hammock right out of her yard, only to be found a week later broken and mangled in a tree. Since then, she had not gotten the chance to even set foot in a hammock. That is, until now. She simply couldn't pass by this opportunity.

As fast as her legs could carry her, Ally raced towards the swinging bed. Only once she reached it did she stop. She didn't attempt to jump on it at a running pace for fear that it would tip over and throw her to the ground. One only makes that mistake once….

Gingerly, she sat on the hammock, balanced her weight, and then quickly threw her legs over the outstretched tarp. Ally's eyes darted to the sky above her as she looked up into a field of green and blue. Trees and leaves, blowing gently in the wind, blocked the sun from her eyes. The cloudless sky, just barely visible between the fresh, new leaves, was as bright as she had ever seen it. Slowly, her eyelids fluttered to a close. Breathing in the fresh, clean air and feeling the sun's rays against her skin, she sat in silence. Listening to the sounds of the summer. Birds singing, squirrels scurrying, rabbits munching. It was so peaceful that she just couldn't help but drift slowly to sleep….

* * *

"Hey Amanda, is Ally here?"

Austin was currently leaning on the doorpost of Ally's dormitory, looking hopefully behind Amanda and attempting to peek inside the room. Previously, he had spent about an hour in his own room, watching as Bryan attempted to explain to him the video game he was designing. Though complicated, it did seem to be rather fun. He and Bryan were starting to really become good friends, and Austin liked that. He had only left when he felt certain that he could no longer take any more time away from Ally. He wasn't sure why, but for some reason whenever he spent extended periods without her he began feeling sick inside. It kind of scared him. Knocking fiercely on the white-painted door, Austin had been disappointed when Amanda, Ally's strange, nerdy roommate, had been the one to answer.

Eyeing him strangely, Amanda took a long pause before slowly shaking her head to his previous question.

"Well then," Austin began tentatively, "Do you know where she is?"

Again taking her time, Amanda slowly answered. "No," she replied, "But I saw her walking behind the building. Go check there."

Austin nodded and quickly turned, hearing the door swing to a close behind him. Upon exiting the building, Austin wandered around for nearly ten minutes. He couldn't understand. Where could she be?

Austin was on the verge of giving up, when suddenly something caught the corner of his eye. He made no hesitation turning to see what it was. Swinging in the breeze, a long-haired brunette lay peacefully on a hammock. The only reason he hadn't seen it sooner was that it lay neatly disguised in a midst of trees. He smiled. Ally couldn't hide from him anymore….

Austin began rushing towards the hammock, planning to surprise her. Halfway there, he stopped. He was taken aback when he realized that she was sleeping. Her gentle eyelids were fluttered shut against her face. Her cheeks were flushed with pink. He full, soft lips were slightly agape in the cutest way possible. She just looked so beautiful, Austin could barely move. He was frozen with admiration.

Suddenly, before he could even process what he was doing, Austin began moving forward. Quickly, he plopped himself down next to Ally. For some reason, it felt right. The warmth shared between them was just so comforting. All he wanted to do was put his arm around her, and hug her, and hold her tight.

Ally too, though she was asleep, felt this warmth. She rolled over in her sleep to face the source. If Ally had been a few inches taller, the two would have been face to face.

Sweetly, Austin spoke up.

"Ally…" he said hesitantly, "Wake up… it's me."

Blearily, Ally opened her eyes.

"Huh?" she began, slurring her words, "Austin? Is that you?"

Austin laughed kindly. "Yep, its me. I found you laying here and I thought I might as well join you. Is that…. uh…. ok with you?"

Ally giggled. "Well since you're already here… I don't see why not."

She smiled at him, which he graciously returned. The two sat in silence for a while, swinging in the wind, their shoulders pressed against each other. They stared into the sky, watching as the sun slowly sank.

Suddenly, Ally spoke up, "It's a…. really beautiful day today, isn't it?" She looked to Austin. The sun's low rays were reflecting against his blond hair, giving him a natural shine. She couldn't stop herself for admiring just how cute he looked.

Austin turned to her, "Yeah… I guess it is. I just wish we could have spent all day outside to enjoy it."

Ally shrugged. "We're out here now, aren't we? Isn't that enough?"

A small smile formed Austin's lips as he took hold of what she said. He remained silent, but with such an air of admiration that Ally knew he agreed.

As time went on, somehow the twos' positions changed. Austin's arm ended up around Ally as she leaned her body into his, resting her head on the curve of his shoulder. Neither had any idea how it happened, but neither objected to it either…

Time seemed to stand still as they laid next to each other. Neither could tell how much time had passed since they had come here. Neither cared. It just felt to wonderful to question. And so they sat, Austin sniffing Ally's strawberry scented hair as she counted the number of times his chest rose and fell with every breath. It was too amazing. Too perfect.

Their trance was only broken once Ally made a fateful observation.

"Austin," she began, "It's getting really dark outside. We should probably be going in now."

Austin opened his mouth to agree, but then an idea crossed his mind. A good one too. A sneaky smile formed his lips as he slowly spoke up.

"Not just yet, Als. There's something I want us to see first."

A look of confusion crossed Ally's face. "Are you sure about that?" Ally questioned, "What if we don't make it back in time for curphew?"

Austin shrugged. "Do you want to see it or not?"

Ally's curiosity got the better of her, and soon the two were trudging across the field, past the mass of trees overcoming them. Once they reached a certain point, Austin insisted that he cover her eyes. Reluctantly, Ally agreed. She felt herself being led over to an open plot. She was sat down on the grass, Austin's hands still surrounding her.

Ally attempted to shake off her blindfold, but he only increased his grip.

"Not yet, Ally. It hasn't started yet."

"What hasn't started yet?"

"You'll see…"

After about five minutes of forcing Ally to sit in darkness, Austin finally spoke up.

"Ok, I think it's time now. Get ready, I'm moving my hands."

In an instant, Austin's hands were gone. Ally sat still for a moment, blinking in order to adjust her eyes to the strange new light that suddenly appeared in front of her. Only once her pupils had dilated enough, did she finally begin to look at what sat in front of her. And then she saw. Full on. A gasp of astonishment escaped her lips. It was beautiful. The most beautiful thing she had ever witnessed.

In front of her, as plain as the eye could see, was a sunset. A full on, beautiful sunset. The colors. Those were what hypnotized her the most. A huge, swelling ball of yellow stood in the middle of her view; the sun, of course. Surrounding it was a shade of such vibrant orange that she could only gape at its power. It seemed to bring a sense of calmness and serenity into her very soul. Just a hint of purple and blue interwove within the mass of colors, making the sight even more intoxicating than it already was. She couldn't move. She was frozen on the spot.

Ally had seen sunsets before, of course. Miami had them too. But for some reason, she never spared them a passing glance. Miami was full of trees and buildings blocking them off, and so she always just went on with her day normally, unaware that such a miraculous conception of light was taking place just out of her vision. But now she knew. And so she promised herself that she would never ignore such a sweet sight ever again, as long as she dared live. She scorned herself with the idea that it had taken being placed directly in front of one, without any obstructions what-so-ever, for her to notice it. But, when it came to ignoring beauty, it would not happen again. She was sure of it.

Suddenly, Austin's gentle voice spoke out. His deep, rhythmic tone seemed to mix with the colors. She had almost forgotten he was there.

"The sunsets beautiful up here, isn't it?" he began, "My dad used to take me on a fishing trip every year to a lake that's really near to here, and each time we would just sit together and watch the sunset. I figured you might have liked it."

Unable to speak, Ally just nodded.

Austin chuckled to himself at her speechlessness.

After a mere ten minutes, Ally managed to get her vocal cords working just long enough to mutter a few words.

"It's the most beautiful thing in the entire world."

Austin looked to Ally's shining eyes and flowing hair as she stared, mesmerized, into the pallet of colors before her. He smiled and opened his mouth to reply.

"I've seen better."


	5. Day 4

**Hey everybody! I hope your all enjoying my fanfic so far! I just wanna say thank you to all of you who reviewed. I promise you that I read every single review and they all make my day :). **

**In terms of updating, I was thinking that I'll update every weekend until school ends. Once school is over I can probably start updating twice a week. I hope thats okay with you guys! **

**Well, enjoy! :D**

Day Four

He couldn't help himself. Couldn't stop himself. It was almost like a natural reaction: a reflex. His body did it before his brain could make sense of it. It just happened.

Waking up at 6 o'clock sharp, Austin had taken a shower, dressed, and gotten himself ready for the day all while Bryan was still asleep. Making sure his hair was absolutely perfect, Austin had grabbed his backpack and headed out the door.

At exactly 7:00 AM, while Austin assumed Ally was just waking up from a nighttime's slumber, he positioned himself outside of her dorm room. Waiting.

He knew it seemed weird, but he just couldn't help it. He wanted so badly to walk Ally to breakfast. To discuss with her the events of yesterday. He was afraid that if he woke up too late he would miss her and his perfect opportunity would be lost. And so here he was, right outside her room, waiting for her like some obsessed stalker.

Austin blushed fiercely out of shame and embarrassment. It had seemed like a good idea last night while he lay in bed thinking about her, but now, wide-awake, he began to regret his sleep-deprived decision. What was he thinking? Waiting for her like this was a terrible idea! She'd be totally creeped out! Not to mention the fact that he could have just talked to her after classes. Why did he need to talk to her so early in the morning anyway? What was wrong with him!?

In an attempt to cover up his mistake, Austin exited the girl's dorm hallway. He waited outside in the hallway connected to it, standing where he was sure he would not be missed by anybody entering or exiting the doorway. This way, once Ally started walking to breakfast, she would see him right away. He could pull it off as some sort of coincidence, as if the two had started going to breakfast at the same time and had just HAPPENED to meet. Then that was when they could start their conversation.

Austin smiled at his brilliant plan. He quietly sat down at a spot opposite the door, ready to jump up at any moment when he heard footsteps at the other side. He did not have to wait long.

At around 7:20, Austin sensed gentle treading on the other side of the wall. Jumping up from his seat, Austin threw his backpack over his shoulder and then proceeded to act as if he were just walking.

Sure enough, when the door opened there Ally stood. Her hair was pulled back in a cute, high ponytail, the first time he had every seen her wear one. She wore a navy green vest under which was a plain, black shirt. On her legs was a cute, knee-length skirt. Austin couldn't believe she had managed to look that cute in only twenty minutes. Her abilities were nearly limitless.

As Ally saw Austin, a smile spread across her face.

"Oh, hi Austin!" she yelled to him cheerily, "Are you on your way to breakfast? Can I come with you?"

Austin smiled at her and nodded. He attempted to seem relaxed, but for some reason it felt like his insides were twisted. As if he had just contracted some sick, flesh-eating disease that was tearing him apart from the inside out. He didn't understand why, but he kind of liked this feeling. It confused him.

"So, Ally," Austin began coolly, "What are you doing going to breakfast so early? You know the cafeteria doesn't open until 7:45, right?"

Ally laughed. "You know, I could ask you the same question," she said with a smile, "What exactly are YOU doing here."

"Err… well…." Austin stuttered awkwardly, "I was just…. um… getting in line for breakfast early so that they …uh... don't run out of pancakes… like they did yesterday."

"Yeah, that's it!" he said proudly, "That's why! For pancakes!"

At this, Ally started to laugh.

"Well, I guess you do love your pancakes," she said with a chuckle, "Next time tell me and I'll save you some."

Austin sighed out of relief. She had bought it. Thank god….

"So," Austin began again, this time expecting an answer, "I've told you why I'm here, what about you?"

Ally blushed shyly. "While I was just…. going to your room," she admitted guiltily, "I figured we could walk to breakfast together. And talk, you know?"

At this, Austin felt two overwhelming streams of emotions. On one hand, he felt extremely excited and jittery that Ally had the same idea as him. Maybe she really did care about him as much as he cared about her. The idea exhilarated him. Not that he had any feelings for her other than just friends….

On the other hand, he felt guilty about lying to her about his motives while she came clean. It made him feel like a dirty liar. He always hated lying to Ally, but the idea that she had told the truth to him under the same exact circumstances increased his hate ten fold.

As his emotions subsided, the two teens began walking towards the cafeteria in silence, Austin internally coaxing himself to start the conversation.

To his disdain, Ally spoke first.

"So, Austin," she began, "Yesterday was… really fun."

Austin nodded.

"It really was, wasn't it?" he replied, "Maybe we should do it again sometimes."

"Well, that's what I was getting at," explained Ally cutely, "I was thinking that maybe we can do that everyday. I mean, we could do a thing where each day after dinner we spend our free time doing something new together. I just think that it would be a good way for us to make the best out of our summer, even if we are stuck here. So…. what do you think?"

Austin's smile had never been wider as he nodded.

"Yeah, that sounds like a great idea!" he replied enthusiastically.

"Great!" Ally said cheerily, "Then we'll get started tonight."

At that, the two had finally reached the cafeteria. And before they could even take another breath, the day went on…

* * *

It was dinner now, and the two best friends sat shoulder to shoulder. Austin lay patiently watching and waiting as Ally slowly finished her spaghetti. He'd been waiting for this all day, and now that it was so close he could hardly keep from fidgeting with excitement. After sucking up his food in the first five minutes, he was ready to go out and start his "Ally time." Now all he needed to do was wait for her.

In what felt like forever, Ally finally finished her meal and accompanied Austin to the exit. Only once the two had gotten out of a 10-yard radius from the building did they finally start to talk.

"So Austin," Ally began curiously, "What should we do today?"

Austin shrugged. "I don't know," he replied, "What do you want to do?"

Ally shrugged back in reply, earning a sigh from Austin.

After sitting in silence, thinking, for about ten minutes, an idea sprouted in Austin's head.

"I know!" Austin shouted excitedly, gesturing towards the pool, "We can go swimming!

Ally sighed. "Sorry, Austin," she replied sadly, "But I didn't pack my swim suit. I didn't know this camp would have a pool."

"Oh…" Austin said disappointedly, "Well I guess we'll just have to find something else to do then. Unless, of course, you want to swim in your clothes…"

Ally laughed. "Don't even think about it, Austin. That is NOT happening."

Austin laughed in reply. He knew she probably wouldn't go for it, but it was worth a shot, right?

"How about this," Ally spoke after his laughter had died down, "Let's just go sit by the lake. It really pretty over there and we can watch the fish swim around. Maybe it might help me think of an idea, you know since the Miami pond used to always give me song-writing ideas when I was younger. Wanna give it a try?"

At this, Austin nodded. He and Ally walked over to the edge of the lake where they sat down on the spot with the most grass and the least mud.

"You know, this lake is practically the same thing as the old pond at the Miami Mall," Ally happily remarked, "I'm sure to come up with an idea here!"

Austin chuckled at her enthusiasm. In an attempt to relax himself, he took off his shoes and socks and put them to the side. He then stuck his bare feet into the murky water of lake. It was warm, yet refreshing. It felt nice on this hot, dry day. So much so that he couldn't help but sigh with contentment.

"Austin! What are you doing?" Ally said suddenly with unease, "Don't put your feet in there! The water is filthy!"

"Oh come on, Als," Austin replied, "It feels really good; you should try it. And besides, its not like our feet aren't going to get dirty anyway. They're feet, for god sakes, we walk around on them all day long!"

At this, Ally could only chuckle.

"If it means that much to you, I'll try it," she said with a laugh.

Slowly, Ally pulled off her slip-on shoes and stuffed her socks inside of them. After putting them to the side she attempted to scoot herself closer to the lake so that she wouldn't have to stretch her legs so far. Unfortunately for her, that spot was slippery with wet mud. As soon as she sat down, she immediately started to slide. In an instant she knew that it was too late to stop it; she was going down. All she could do was let out a high-pitched scream as she was plunged feet-first into the murky, green waters.

"Ally!" Austin yelled in fear, "Are you alright?!"

Almost as if in answer to his question, Ally emerged. Her hair and face soaking wet, she took a large gasp of air, spluttering out the water on her lips.

"Austin!" she yelled in despair, "I'm soaked! What are we supposed to do now!?"

Austin opened his mouth to answer, but she interrupted him.

"I guess we'll just have to give-up for today. We can't really do anything when I'm like this, can we?" said Ally sadly as she grabbed at the grass and attempted to pull herself up, to no avail, the same slippery slope that had doused her in, "Maybe this is a sign that we shouldn't do these types of things. Its probably better if we just stop now…."

Austin suddenly laughed out loud, confusing Ally as well as slightly hurting her feelings.

"Well," began Austin mischievously, "I know one thing we CAN do when you're like that!"

Before Ally could even begin to ask what, Austin jumped in with her.

"AUSTIN!" Ally screamed as she was doused with his splash, "WHAT ON EARTH ARE YOU DOING!?"

Austin replied with a laugh.

"What do you think? I'm swimming!"

At that, he moved his hands and splashed her directly in the face. Ally, screaming with giggles, splashed him right back.

For nearly two hours, this went on. For some reason that neither kid could explain, it was fun. One might think that swimming and splashing after twenty minutes would lose its appeal, but for them it never did. It was always fun. As long as they did it with each other.

Ally especially was having way more fun than she could have imagined. Enough that she could ignore the fact that she was swimming in algae, mold, fungus, and fish pee. The water was murky and warm and filthy, but none of that seemed to matter as she played with her best friend. All that mattered was Austin.

Finally, after a long game of "Marco Polo," the kids pulled themselves out of the lake and plopped down on the grass.

"Oh my gosh!" Ally exclaimed, "It's so dark already! We better get inside quick if we want to make curfew."

As she attempted to stand up, however, Austin grabbed her hand, holding her to the spot.

"Come on, Ally," he said sweetly, "Its camp, not school. I'm sure they won't mind if we go past curfew a LITTLE bit. Look at how beautiful the stars are right now! Enjoy them with me."

If not for the lesson she had learned only yesterday about truly appreciating nature, Ally would have gone inside. But because of what she had promised herself, she knew she could not. And so she stayed.

The two children sat side to side, only inches apart. They stared, wide-eyed, into the stars above. Ally could barely wrap her mind around the size of the universe. The fact that there were thousands of galaxies out there, each holding millions of stars, which in turn held planets, was simply overwhelming. There was so much space out there her brain just couldn't process it. Suddenly, out of the blue, she spoke.

"Austin," she asked, "Do you think that aliens exist? I mean, there are so many planets out there. There has to be some life on one of them, right?"

Austin turned towards her, finding that their faces were now only centimeters apart.

"Right now," Austin replied kindly, "The only two people in this entire universe is me and you. No one else. Just us, and that's all that matters to me. Us."

Ally smiled at the thought as she agreed.

"Yeah, just us. Me and you against the world. Forever."

**I hope you guys liked this chapter! I'm aware that it gets kind of rushed at the end (sorry for that) but I had a lot of homework to do this week so I didn't get a lot of time to write this. Btw, if any of you has any ideas for what you want to happen in the future, please tell me! I have plenty of things that I'm planning to do right now, but considering the fact that I need to make 21 chapters I'm sure I'm going to eventually run out of ideas. So if you have any then please share!**


	6. Day 5

**Hey everybody! It's update time! Enjoy! **

**Oh, and btw I used the song "Count on Me" by Bruno Mars. If you haven't heard it yet, I recommend looking it up on youtube or something before reading. It will help give you the full experience of the chapter, plus it's just a really good song in general. And now that I'm giving credit I might as well mention that I do NOT own Austin and Ally. I always forget to do that... please don't report me...**

_Day Five_

She was ready. So, very ready. Ready for anything, really. If a live bear started chasing her down the street, she'd be ready to run. If the sky, all of the sudden, started crumbling and falling to pieces, she'd be ready to hide. If a ten-foot-tall monster jumped out of her closet, she'd be ready to fight. She didn't know why, but she felt ready for whatever the world threw at her. She felt ready for anything. Anything at all.

For the first time in five days, Ally woke up because she wanted to, not because she had to. She felt it: the excitement and anticipation coursing through her veins. Every breath she took was fresh and new, and every breath she released was as if she were letting go of all the tensions still left in her body. It just felt…. great. Amazingly, fantastically, unbelievable great. Too good to be true. But it was true. Oh, how true it was.

There was no doubt in her mind now that this whole "hang out with Austin everyday" thing was her best idea ever. Somehow, it had fixed everything. The boredom of sitting in a classroom all day. The sadness of missing out on summer. The awkwardness that appeared whenever the two would talk after class. All of it was gone now, only to be replaced by everything that she was feeling right now.

Her laughter suddenly filled the quietness of the room. It was a laugh that stemmed from her heart, right out of her very soul. It was a laugh of pure happiness and joy, and just releasing it made her feel as if she were flying. She couldn't remember the last time she felt this excited. Couldn't remember the last time she felt this free.

At the sound of her strange, out-of-nowhere laughter, her roommate Amanda looked up at her. Her eyebrows rose in confusion and slight annoyance, but she didn't say anything about it. Ally was glad about that. It'd be pretty hard to explain why she had suddenly burst out laughing for no apparent reason…

The two girls quickly took turns showering and changing in the bathroom. After sharing a room with this black-haired, pale-skinned girl for nearly five days, all Ally had gotten out of it were two things:

One, Amanda loved to read. Especially science fiction novels.

And two, she didn't talk much. Wasn't much of a listener either…

Though she assumed that this was all she really needed to know about the girl in order to get along with her, Ally still couldn't help but feel a little guilty. She hadn't even TRIED to learn more about her. How selfish was that? Ally had to live with this girl for three whole weeks, so she might as well learn something about her in the process.

Very cautiously, Ally opened her mouth to speak.

"So…. Amanda," she began slowly, "Where are you from?"

_This is good_, Ally thought to herself. _A nice, basic start. Let's just hope she doesn't mind small talk._

As if in slow motion, Amanda took her time to answer.

"Ohio," she finally said, after what felt like forever.

"That's cool!" Ally said brightly, though she knew as much about Ohio as she did about sports, "I'm from Miami. I only live like three hours away from here, actually."

Amanda nodded coolly, slowly continuing to slip on a light, navy-blue jacket with the "Zalien" symbol imprinted on the chest. Figures she'd be into something like that…

Ally suddenly took note of the size of the jacket and inwardly gasped. It was extremely slim, something Ally wouldn't be able to fit into in a million years. And considering the fact that she was also very skinny, that was saying something! Ally's eyes quickly flitted to Amanda's waist and they widened out of surprise. This girl was a twig!

"Wow," said Ally before she could stop herself, "You're really skinny!"

Immediately, a look of immense distaste and spite appeared on Amanda's face. Ally quickly realized she made a mistake and tried to recover.

"I mean in a good way!" Ally said quickly, all the while wondering why Amanda took it to such great offense, "It's awesome, really! Nothing wrong with it!"

This wasn't working at all. On the contrary, Amanda looked ever more offended than she did before. Ally's common sense told her to stop talking now, but her very nature made her do otherwise.

"I mean… just…. Being skinny is good. Great actually! It really suits you! I mean, you'd look good no matter how skinny you are! Don't take me the wrong way, you're really pretty. You're beautiful! Ok, that sounded weird, but what I mean is…. It doesn't matter that you're skinny. Doesn't matter at all. You could be a broomstick for all I'd care. Not that you're a broomstick! I just mean—"

Suddenly, Amanda threw her hand over Ally's mouth. She took it as a sign to shut up.

"Look," Amanda said with a sigh, "I know I'm skinny. But I really don't want to talk about it, ok?"

Ally nodded fiercely, causing Amanda to slowly withdraw her hand. Out of shear awkwardness, Ally blushed and tried as quickly as possible to throw her books into her backpack. Pulling it over her shoulder without even bothering to zip it up, Ally jumped from the floor and tried to rush out the door. Only right when she had rested her hand on the doorknob did she feel someone grabbing her sleeve. It was Amanda.

"Just so you know, I'm not anorexic," Amanda said suddenly, skipping straight to point, "It's just in my genetics. My mom is like this too. So is my grandma. And I'm sorry I got offended before, It's just that at my old school a lot of people would gossip about how I had some kind of eating disorder. I'm just a little sensitive on the subject."

Ally nodded. It felt really good to know that Amanda shared this with her, especially after knowing her for such a short time.

"It's no problem, Amanda," Ally said gently, "I get it. We've all been judged before."

At that, Amanda smiled at her for the first time since they'd met. And Ally smiled back with just as much kindness and acceptance. As the two walked out to breakfast, Ally knew one thing: She could tell this girl anything now. They were friends.

* * *

"What should we do today, Austin?"

The two kids were sitting right outside in the backyard of the camp. They crouched on the stone steps, sitting side by side and slightly leaning inward into each other. Just like yesterday, they were discussing what they wanted to do for their "Austin and Ally time." What was different than the other days, however, was the fact that they were no longer alone. The backyard was packed! It was as if everybody had suddenly realized that there was more to do during their free time than just read. People ran around, swam, and just had fun, a smile on each and every one of their faces.

"I don't know, Ally. Why don't we just sit down and wait like we did last time. Maybe something will come to us."

Ally nodded. "Sure," she said cheerily, "How about we talk, too. Maybe that might spark an idea."

Austin agreed and soon the two sat face to face on the grass, chatting. It started out as small talk, but as the conversation progressed it became more than that. Deeper. More important. Meaningful.

"Austin," Ally began, unable to hold back the burning feeling of loss in her heart any longer, "I miss music."

Austin nodded, his kind eyes pleading for her to continue.

"I just… I was really looking forward to this summer. I really wanted to start focusing more on my music. But now that I'm here it's like there's no music at all! It's like I'm in some sort of music-free-zone. No pianos, no guitars, not even a radio! I'm used to being surrounded my music 24/7, and so being away from it is killing me!"

Austin nodded in sympathy and understanding.

"I get it, Als," he said kindly, "But you do know there's more ways to make music than just instruments. Actually, if you wanted to, you could make music right here and now!"

It took Ally a second to comprehend what he was saying.

"Oh," she said softly, "You mean my voice? Oh Austin, that's just not the same. I miss pressing the keys on the piano, and strumming the strings on a guitar, and just singing along to all that. It's not the same when my voice is all alone."

Austin laughed kindly. "Who's to say your voice is all alone? I'm here, you know. Plus there's plenty of everyday objects that we could use to make some cool sound eff—"

"Austin!" Ally interrupted hastily, "Are you saying what I think your saying? We can't just sing HERE!"

Austin shrugged. "Why not?"

"There are PEOPLE around!" Ally said loudly, gesturing to the kids running past them, "We'd embarrass ourselves!"

At this, Austin laughed. "So?" he said. And before Ally could even hope to stop him, he began to sing….

"_If you ever find yourself stuck in the middle of the sea!"_

Ally blushed profusely. He had barely begun and she could already feel all eyes on them. Stabbing her backside. Burrowing into her very soul.

"_I'll sail the world, to find you!" _

Did he have to sing it so loud?

_If you ever find yourself lost in the dark and you can't see, I'll be the light to guide you!"_

This was the song they'd been working on before they were sent to camp. They never got the chance to release it. So now not only was Austin singing a song in public, he was singing a song that nobody KNEW in public.

"_Find out what we're made of, when we are called to help our friends in need!"_

Suddenly Austin looked at her. His eyes said it all. He wanted her to sing the chorus. It was her turn. She felt like running away and never looking back. And if it weren't for his big, brown, puppy-dog eyes she probably would have, too. But before she could stop herself, the words flowed out of her mouth.

"_You can count on me like 1,2,3. I'll be there."_

What was she doing! She was embarrassing herself! She needed to stop now, but for some reason she just couldn't. The words flowed out like liquid.

"_And I know when I need it I can count on you like 4,3,2. You'll be there."_

It didn't stop. And suddenly she knew why. She had been holding out this spontaneous burst of song since she got here. It had been burning in her throat for the past five days, and now that Austin had sparked it, there was absolutely no way to keep it from exploding outwards.

"'_Cause that's what friends are supposed to do, oh yeah."_

Ally stayed silent for a second as she allowed Austin to sing alone.

"_Ooooooh, oooooh yeah, yeah."_

And now it was Ally's turn.

"_If you're tossing and you're turning and you just can't fall asleep, I'll sing a song beside you."_

Austin sang up.

"_And if you ever forget how much you really mean to me, every day I will remind you."_

For the next line, strong and clear, the twos' voices came together in perfect harmony.

"_Oooh. Find out what we're made of when we are called to help our friends in need!"_

And suddenly, it didn't matter to her anymore. It didn't matter that everybody was watching her. That they could all hear her sing. That they all probably thought she was foolish for singing in public like this. It just didn't matter. All that mattered was her and Austin. Right here, right now. Singing their hearts out. And so, as fully and completely as she possibly could, she indulged herself in the music.

Ally: "_You can count on me,"_

Austin: "_Like one 1,2,3."_

Ally: "_I'll be there."_

Austin: "_And I know that when I need it I can count on you"_

Ally: "_Like 4,3,2"_

Austin: "_You'll be there,"_

Both: "_'Cause that's what friends are supposed to do, oh yeah. Oooooooh, oooooh yeah, yeah." _

It was all too perfect. Neither wanted it to ever end. They wanted this moment to last forever.

Austin: "_You'll always have my shoulder when you cry."_

Ally: "_I'll never let go, never say goodbye. You know."_

Both: "_You can count on me like 1,2,3. I'll be there. And I know when I need it I can count on you like 4,3,2. You'll be there. 'Cause that's what friends are supposed to do, oh yeah. Ooooooh, ooooooh."_

Suddenly, Austin shut his mouth, allowing Ally to finish the last lines by herself.

"_You can count on me 'cause I can count on you."_

And then it was over. All over. Ally's eyes widened as her mind wrapped around the feat that she had just accomplished. She looked over at the crowd of kids watching her, and her mouth gaped open. As she turned to Austin she saw a smug smile on him lips. He winked at her.

And then came the cheers. The kids, all around them, were applauding. Cheering. For them. For her. Ally couldn't move. Not in the slightest. She was frozen in her spot. What was happening?

And suddenly, Austin grabbed her hand and raised it high above her head.

"This is my friend, Ally Dawson!" he screamed, causing a rile of cheers from the crowd, "And she's the most talented singer/song-writer ever! She just doesn't know it yet!"

After blushing fiercely for about five minutes, Ally turned to him.

"Thank you, Austin," she whispered to her best friend, "I can always count on you…"

**Done! I hope you guys liked it! I did something different at the beginning where I talked about Amanda. Did you guys like that? Since I made her character, I figured I might as well expand on her a little bit. So, what do you think? Should I do more of her? Oh, and sorry the chapter is a so rushed. I didn't get to spend a lot of time on this one because I've been so busy lately. **


	7. Day 6

******Hey everybody! I'm sorry I didn't update last weekend, but I've been really busy lately. I've been studying like crazy for finals! I just barely managed to squeeze this chapter in. I probably won't be able to update next weekend either, so sorry for that! **

**Ok, I'll admit that this chapter isn't my best. In fact, I'm really embarrassed of it. It's REALLY rushed and has a lot of gramatical errors. I would spend time making it better, but I really don't have time. Don't worry, next chapter will be a lot better. I promise! **

**Day Six**

"… and it was AMAZING! We spent the rest of the day after that just sitting on the grass and singing some of the old songs we wrote. It felt really nice after being away from it for such a long time…. Do you like music? Maybe you could have joined us! That would have been really fun!"

Amanda gave the bouncing brunette a small smile, but replied with a shake of the head. "I'm not really into music…"

"Oh…" Ally replied slowly, yet cheerily, "That's alright! I know a lot of people aren't. Well, if you don't like music, what do like? Books?"

Amanda nodded. "Books, computers, movies," she replied, "You know, things like that."

Ally replied with a smile and a slight nod of acknowledgment. Neither girl spoke for a moment. Taking advantage of the silence, Ally took a moment to reflect on the past events of yesterday and today.

Just like she had told Amanda, after singing "Count on me" with Austin the two had spent the rest of the day singing as well. They had gone up to bed only after watching the sunset, a pleasant experience that never failed to amaze her.

Because she knew that tomorrow was the weekend, and she didn't have to go to class, Ally had allowed herself to stay up late, thinking. She thought about Austin. About the fact that something seemed to be changing between them. Changing for the better. She didn't understand it entirely, but that didn't seem to be important anyway. Whatever was happening, was happening. Whether she knew what it was or not, there was nothing she could do stop it.

And now, here she was. Sitting on the floor of her dorm room with Amanda, both girls still in their pajamas. Ally had woken up this morning at 8am. Despite the fact that it was the weekend, Ally was a naturally early riser. As it turned out, so was Amanda. The two had sat chatting for nearly an hour and a half. It was nice to know she had a friend here. A friend that wasn't Austin, that is.

Just then, breaking the girls out of their thoughts, a strong, repeated knock ran out through their dormitory.

"Come in!" Ally instinctively yelled before realizing that the door was locked. Gracefully, she stood up from her seat and unlocked the door. She was met with the unsurprising sight of a cute, blond boy baring a movie-star smile.

"Oh, hi Austin!" she said cheerily.

"Hey Ally!" he replied with just as much friendliness, "Nice pajamas."

As Austin said this he tried unsuccessfully to keep himself from staring. Ally was wearing a matching pajama top and bottom. Her top, a light, sweet pink, had on its center a giant, black music note, outlined in gold. It was sleeveless and fit snuggly around her tiny waist. Her pants, on the other hand, were fuzzy and warm, covered in tiny designs of pianos, guitars, and an array of other instruments. Not only did her outfit make her look adorable, it fit her personality perfectly.

Ally giggled and brightly thanked him as he let himself in, positioning himself comfortably on the floor besides her roommate. What was her name again? Emma? Anna? Anastasia?

"So…" Ally began, pulling him away from his thoughts, "What are you doing up this early on a weekend? I thought you liked to sleep late. You know, like until 10 or 11."

"Well…." Austin began sheepishly, "I figured since today was a weekend we could spend all day together. I wanted to get started as early as possible."

Ally blushed slightly. "That's sweet Austin," she said cutely, "But don't worry, we have plenty of time."

Austin doubted this. He could never spend enough time with Ally. The more time they had together, the better.

…..

Deciding what to do had been relatively easy, thanks to Amanda. As soon as Austin and Ally had begun to discuss what they were going to do, she had spoken up.

"Lets go to the pool," she had said, "Its really hot outside today, we won't have much fun doing anything else."

With that, the three had gotten changed into their bathing suits (Ally borrowing one of Amanda's since she had forgotten to bring her own), and headed off to the pool.

Though Austin and Ally had already swam this week, neither minded doing it again. Swimming is always fun. Plus, this time it was different. They were in a filtered, chlorine-smelling pool in the middle of the afternoon, not a murky, bacteria-filled lake in the dark of night. It was a different experience. Plus, they were wearing actual bathing suits this time.

The day had been fun. Swimming around and playing in the water, Austin and Ally had had a great time. Amanda had mostly watched from the sidelines, laying on a camp-supplied floaty and reading some a hundred-year-old novel. When Brian had joined them the two had spent time talking about similar interests. Ally was happy about this; she liked Amanda, but the two of them had nothing in common. She was glad that Amanda had finally found somebody to connect with the same way she connected with Austin.

After a little while, Amanda, Brian, and the rest of the kids all left one by one. Austin and Ally were the only ones who stayed until the pool was closed. As long as they were together, they were having the time of their lives. And neither one was willing to let that end voluntarily.

…

"That was fun," said the familiar voice of a cute brunette, "A good, classic way to spend the summer."

"It really was," agreed her blond companion, "But you know, the day isn't over yet…"

She considered this for a moment. Could they really do something else today?

"I guess…. we could do something else," Ally said thoughtfully, "I mean, we just had dinner and its dark outside, but its no later than it was when we swam in the lake."

"Yeah!" Austin agreed excitedly, "What should we do then?"

The two lay side to side on a large, stripped towel. Ally's hair was still wet and stringy, hanging down her soldiers in small clumps. She was dressed in a white, cotton robe that wrapped snuggly around her waist. Austin, however, wore nothing but his swimming trunks, small droplets of water still glistening off his chest. Being soaking wet and too tired to change, Amanda had been kind enough to go outside and bring them some hamburgers to snack on for dinner.

"Well that's the problem, isn't it," replied Ally, "There's not much we can do dressed like this."

The sun had already sunk in the sky and the stars were beginning to appear, one by one. Austin stared at the points of light disgruntledly. There had to be something to do! They couldn't just give up now, could they?

"We could—"

Suddenly, Austin was interrupted. A loud booming sound erupted from somewhere nearby. Powerful and intense, it made both children tense with surprise.

"W-what was that?" asked Ally, surprise in her voice.

Austin stood in silence for a second, wondering himself what the mysterious noise was. Was it thunder? A car horn? A bomb? And then it hit him. He laughed at himself for not thinking of it earlier.

"Its fireworks!" Austin yelled excitedly, "Let's go see them!" His voice rose in pitch as the excitement filled his brain. He LOVED fireworks! He'd gone to see them with his parents all the time during the summer! And now he had the chance to see them again!

"Austin…" Ally began hesitantly, "I don't think we can. The view of them is hidden by the trees. We'd have to cross the camp fence and walk through the forest for at least a mile before we'd catch a glimpse of them."

Austin jumped up from his spot on the grass, catching Ally off guard.

"Come on!" Austin shouted, "It'll be fun! We'll be back before curfew, I promise."

"Austin, I don't know about this…." Ally began hesitantly, "What if someone see's us? What if we get caught? What if we get lost in the woods? What if we fall off the fence and break our legs? WHAT IF WE GET EATEN BY WILD ANIMALS?!

At this, Austin laughed.

"Come on, Ally," he repeated again, "Have fun for a change! Break some rules! Don't be such a goody-two-shoes!"

"Whhhhaaaaattttt," Ally began unconvincingly, "I am NOT a goody-two-shoes! In fact, I'm the opposite! I'm ALWAYS breaking the rules! I once tie-dyed a pillowcase at camp when I was only supposed to tie-dye a t-shirt. IM A REBEL!"

"Then prove it," Austin said mischievously, a daring smirk on his lips, "Come with me."

"Fine!" huffed Ally, "Maybe I will…."

And with that, the two were off.

….

"Ally, I'm tired," Austin complained loudly, "Let's just give up and go back,"

"No!" Ally shot back, "We're not turning back! We are going to see these fireworks no matter what!"

Austin rolled his eyes. He instantly regretted convincing her to do this. Now that he had called her a goody-two-shoes he knew that she'd stop at nothing to prove him wrong. This was going to be a looonnnnggg night….

They had been trudging through the forest for nearly 15 minutes now, and still had made nearly no progress. First going left, then going right, it seemed to Austin that they were just moving in circles. Ally was leading, a determined, rebellious look in her eyes that Austin had seldom seen before. He kind of liked it….

"Ally, please," Austin complained again, louder this time, "My feet hurt and it's getting really late. The fireworks are probably going to end soon, anyway. We'll never make it in time."

Suddenly, Ally stopped cold in her tracks. Austin bumped in to her, but she barely noticed.

"You're right…" she said slowly, eyes wide as she took in reality, "We'll never make it if we walk."

Austin sighed in relief. "Great, I'm glad you finally see it my w—"

"WE NEED TO CLIMB!" Ally yelled suddenly, interrupting him mid-sentence.

"What?" he asked, confusion evident in his voice.

"Let's climb this tree!" she explained, stroking the bark of a large, tall oak, "Once we get high enough we'll be able to see above all the other trees and into the sky, where the fireworks are."

"Ally, are you sure about this?" Austin asked nervously, "That tree is really high. We could get hurt…"

"Yes I'm sure!" Ally exclaimed, "Now stop being so scared and lets climb!"

Before he knew it, Austin was scooting up the trunk of a tree one inch at a time, Ally far above him.

"Allllyyyyy," he complained, "Slow down!"

She didn't respond, continuing her climb without a hitch. Austin admired her grace as she ascended the tree. Stepping from branch to branch delicately with her strong legs and dainty fingers. The moonlight hit her skin perfectly, causing her to almost glow. She was just so…. pretty.

After what seemed like an hour, but in reality was no more than 5 minutes, Austin huffed himself up to Ally's level. She was perched on the edge of a strong tree branch, and he quickly positioned himself next to her.

"Wow," he murmured as he caught a glimpse of the sky.

In front of them both was an array of colors. Greens. Blues. Yellows. Reds. All there. Swirling together in a mix of colorful bursts. Lighting up the sky with its wonder. It brought back memories of years past and he couldn't stop the smile beginning to form on his face. He and his parents used to have such goods times together. And now, here with Ally, he was forming a new memory. A memory even better than all those before.

Ally, too, was lost in a trance. She remembered the first time she saw fireworks as a child. The loud, booming noise had scared her, causing her to spend the entire time cowering in her father's arms. Because of that, the term "fireworks" had never been a positive one for her. But now, with Austin, that was changing. He was changing it. Changing it for the better.

Suddenly, without even realizing it, Ally began to subconsciously lean forward. Towards the bright, beautiful lights in front of her. Just as she were about to lose balance, Austin grabbed her.

"Careful," he warned her cutely, "You don't wanna fall off here. We're pretty high up."

"Thanks," she said with a smile.

Austin moved to let go of her waist, from which he had grabbed on to when she started to fall, but Ally stopped him.

"Just… keep holding me," she said quickly, "I don't want to lose balance again. Do you mind?"

"Of course not," he replied, noticing the small blush creeping across Ally's cheeks as he held on ever tighter, "I'd hold on to you forever if I could."

Ally laughed. "Is that so?" she asked with a mischievous smile.

"Of course," he replied, "I'll never let go. Never."

**Well that was it! I know it was rushed, but I still hoped you liked it! Please please PLEASE review! My new goal is to get 10 reviews per chapter. Right now, at chapter 6, I have 50 reviews. I'm hoping that after I post this chapter I'll have 60. Help me reach my goal and please review! (I sound desperate, I know. I kind of am...) **


	8. Day 7

**Hey everybody! I just want to say thank you to all those that reviewed! I got so many reviews last chapter, which really inspired me to write. I decided since you guys gave me so many reviews, I'd return the favor by updating even though I said I wouldn't get to. I even updated earlier than usual! So, enjoy! :D**

_**Day 7**_

A week. An entire week. Done with. Gone. Caput.

He can barely believe that seven whole days have already gone by. He knows that he should be happy about this—relieved even—but he isn't. He's…. he doesn't know. Upset? Sad? Disappointed? He wonders why he feels this way. This is a SCHOOL based camp, for god sakes! How could he have possibly enjoyed it? Well, in complete honestly, he didn't think school was the thing he liked about it….

Ally. The bouncing brunette who he had spent nearly every passing hour of the last few years with. The cute, smart girl who always had his back whether or not he wanted her too. The shy, awkward songwriter who Austin had had the joy to watch blossom and grow as the years went by. She had somehow managed to turn a hopeless, dire situation into one he actually ENJOYED. He didn't want to admit it, but she held some sort of power over him, as if every action she did or thing she said was linked directly to his emotions. The very idea was nerve wreaking… yet terrifyingly true. What was wrong with him?

He had gone to sleep last night at nearly 4 in the morning. For some reason, he just couldn't get his brain to rest. Couldn't stop the flood of thoughts and memories that injected themselves into his brain. He found himself constantly drifting into and out of the narrow boundary between consciousness and delusion. When he was awake, his mind was filled with images of Ally's face. Her smile. Her laugh. The glint in her eyes. When he was asleep, he was haunted by her voice. Her beautiful, sweet voice. Telling him over and over again, "Don't let go, Austin." And of course, as much as he loved to hear that voice, it was still a nightmare. The very idea that he couldn't get her out of his mind was enough of a fright in itself.

Currently, Austin was just stirring in bed. He moaned as a flash of natural light protruded into his eyelids, breaking the solid darkness he had come so far to love. He pulled his blanket over his face, trying hard to push away the obvious. Unlike most days, he woke up with no amount of confusion what-so-ever. He knew what day it was. He knew where he was. He knew what he did last night. He needed to waste no time waiting for memories to flood his mind, as they had never left in the first place. He found himself strangely welcoming this new sensation. He liked knowing things, rather than just being confused. It was nice…

With bleary eyes, Austin turned towards the wall clock sitting directly above his bed. He stared blankly at the tiny black sticks as they slowly ticked in a circle. It took him nearly a minute to organize his mind well enough to read the time without faulting. This was why he liked digital clocks better.

After finally managing to read the clock, Austin slowly rolled over in bed, yawning as he did so.

_Okay_, he thinks to himself, _so its 1:30pm, which means that… WAIT 1:30! IT'S THE MIDDLE OF THE AFTERNOON! I'M SUPPOSED TO HANG OUT WITH ALLY TODAY! _

Without skipping a beat, Austin jumps up from his bed as if it's searing hot lava. He starts planning to himself, creating a hurried list in his head of the quickest way in order to get himself out of bed, showered, dressed, and into Ally's room in the shortest amount of time. His plan crumples to dust, however, as he hops from his bunk, only to trip on something on the floor.

"Ooof." Austin yells, as he hits the ground hard. Luckily, his head hits something soft which cushions his neck and skull from the fall. He's so surprised that he doesn't even bother to look at what this mysterious object is. He just sits there, stunned, his senses still dulled by his recent awakening.

He doesn't say anything, but he doesn't have to. The cushion talks first. Or more accurately, it giggles.

"Good morning, sleeping beauty," it says to him in a lulling female voice, giggling all the way, "Did you forget how to walk?"

If Austin had been fully awake, and not still in shock from the fall, he would have recognized the voice immediately. However, his mind did not seem to be on his side today.

"WHAAA?" he yelled in shock and surprise. Immediately, his head bolted upright. Or it would have if he weren't so comfortable laying in whatever it was that was cushioning him. Instead, he just turned his head to look up at the source of the voice, looking straight at whatever, or more specifically whoever, was in his room.

And of course, as any fully awake person would suspect, it was Ally. Austin's pupils expanded as he caught sight of her. Partially because of surprise, partially because of all the new light his eyes' were taking in from the window behind her. She giggled cheerfully at his confused expression.

"Jeez, Austin," she said jokingly, "It's like you've never had a girl sneak into your room while you were sleeping before…"

Austin laughed at this, quickly catching on to her giggly manner. Suddenly, he realizes that the "cushion" he had so recently laid his head on is not a cushion at all, but a lap. Ally's lap to be exact. He blushes to himself.

"Only twice," he jokes back, a mischievous grin spreading across his face.

After the two had gotten out all of their laughs, Ally manages to explain the situation to Austin, as he sits besides her, listening intently.

"I woke up at 8:00, just like yesterday," she explains to him, "After about an hour I came down here to look for you. When I knocked on your door, though, Brian was the only one who answered. He said you were still sleeping, so I asked if I could come in and wait for you. I would have woken you up, but you just looked so peaceful I couldn't do it! So I've just been waiting for you to wake up for, like, 4 and a half hours. Don't worry though! Brian kept me company, so I wasn't bored or anything. Did you know he made his own video game? Its really cool so far!"

Austin nods and smiles. He's touched that Ally would wait for him for hours, and he knows he would do the same for her, but he feels a twinge of jealousy at the prospect that Brian was the one who kept her busy during all that time. What did they do? What did they talk about? Did Brian try to FLIRT with her? He promised he wouldn't! What if Ally likes him now?

Austin tries to shake those dark thoughts out of his head, filling them instead with the idea that whatever happened was JUST two people being friendly, nothing more. He wonders why it bothers him so much, but doesn't spend too much time thinking about it. He's too busy BEING jealous to focus on WHY he's jealous…

"So, Ally," Austin begins hesitantly, "Did you do any thinking about what we're going to do today? Or what's left with the day, anyway."

She smiled at him sheepishly. "Sorry, Austin," Ally replies guiltily, "I totally forgot to."

"Don't be sorry!" he replies, excitement building up inside him, "I'm glad you didn't think of anything, because I have a GREAT idea!"

"Really?" she replies, surprise evident in her voice, "Well, what is it?"

"We…." Austin pauses, building up suspense, "PLAY HIDE AND SEEK!"

Ally's startled for a second, before breaking out in a fit of giggles.

"Austin," she says with a laugh, "That's cute, it really is. But aren't we a little old to be playing little kid games like that?"

"Um, NO!" he replies without hesitation, "It's a perfectly mature game!"

Ally purses her lips, still unsure.

"Come on, Ally!" he encourages her, "Let's just try it out. What have we got to lose?"

At this, she smiles.

"Oh, ok," she says finally, giving in to his pleading brown eyes, "Let's go play hide-and-seek."

* * *

"… fifty-seven, fifty-eight, fifty-nine, sixty! Ready or not, here I come!"

Austin's voice boomed out in the quiet, secluded forest. He stood behind a tree, counting in a steady, repeated rhythm. It took him a while to convince Ally to play with him in the off-limits forest rather than the crowded campsite, but it was all worth it. Nature provided the perfect hiding spots and made the game so much more…. real. If they were going to play this game, they were going to do it the right way.

Meanwhile, Ally lay expertly hidden in the depths of the forest, in a spot even the expert hunters would have trouble finding. Her breaths were slow and deep, careful to make as little noise as possible. She had heard Austin's counting and was now aware that he had began to look for her. Her heart beat fast in her chest, and for a moment its own beat was the only thing that Ally could hear. Not the birds chirping in the sky. Not the skitter of squirrels up trees. Just her heartbeat. Steady. Repeated. Strong. Ally snickered slightly at her body's own foolishness. It was reacting as if she were in a real life-or-death situation. Little did it know that all that was happening was a foolish, childish game between two immature teenagers.

Austin walked slowly, taking step after step. Leaves crunched beneath his feet and every few steps he'd stomp into a root or log. He was aware that anybody within a half mile could probably detect him trudging through the forest, but he didn't care. This was hide-and-seek, not tag. Ally might hear him, but she couldn't do anything about it. He smiled mischievously at this. She may control his thoughts at night, but at least she has no power over his actions.

Just like Austin had predicted, Ally could clearly hear his every move. She was not scared though; she knew that where she was now was undetectable. She had made sure of that. In fact, she wouldn't have even found this spot herself if not for the help of a mindless squirrel. Back when she was looking for a place to hide, she spotted the squirrel standing near a large group of bushes. It had picked up something shiny from the ground and then ran off into them. Out of shear curiosity, Ally followed him. When she pushed the bushes away, however, she found not a squirrel, but a fort of rocks. They created a space just large enough that Ally could squeeze herself into the crevice. With the rock surrounding her, and the bushes covering her front side, Ally was now completely protected. As it turned out, the only thing the squirrel had picked up was a quarter. It dropped it and scurried away as Ally made herself comfy in her new hiding spot.

Ally suddenly came back to reality. She heard Austin clearly walking towards her. She froze, her heart beating out of her chest. She worried that he could hear it. Ally attempted to stifle her breathes as he approached the bush, mere inches away from where she was hiding. _Oh no,_ Ally though to herself, _He found me! How could he have done it so quickly?_ Just as she were about to jump out of her hiding spot and show herself to him, saving him the trouble of pushing over the bushes, Austin spoke up.

"Hey, little guy," Austin said coolly, "Have you seen a girl anywhere around here? Brown hair, brown eyes, really pretty. We're playing hide and seek."

Ally was stunned for a moment before the truth finally hit her. He wasn't talking to her! He was talking to the squirrel! That was why he came over here in the first place! A flood of relief waved over Ally, followed suit by a blush. He had called her pretty! To a squirrel, but never-the-less he had done it! She simply couldn't help the shade of pink that her cheeks were turning. In a moment, though, her blush turned to giggles. He had talked to a SQUIRREL! A SQUIRREL! She was forced to bite her lip in order to keep herself quiet, so that Austin wouldn't hear her laughing as he walked away.

When the coast was clear, Ally allowed herself to release her fit of giggles. She figured she needed to get them out before Austin came back. He would come back, right?

Wrong.

He didn't. Figuring that he had already checked the area thoroughly, Austin did not return. He only continued to go deeper and deeper into the forest. Searching hopelessly for his hiding companion. After a while, Ally got bored. She knew that hide-and-seek was all about being found. If no one found her, what was the point? She squeezed herself out of her spot between the rocks. If he wouldn't find her, then she'd have to be the one to find him.

* * *

Austin continued to trudge through the forest. He was tired. Hungry. Bored. Maybe this game hadn't been such a good idea after all. Whatever happened he could just NOT find Ally. Either she was a really good hider or he was just an awful seeker. Either way, it didn't really matter. All that mattered was that he was tired and hungry and he needed to find Ally NOW. Little did he know that at that exact moment she was only a few feet behind him. Or more precisely, above him.

Austin groaned in defeat. He was absolutely sure that he would probably NEVER find Ally. Might as well just give up now. In exasperation, Austin backed up against an extremely leafy tree behind him. He sat down, leaning his back against its rough bark. He allowed his eyes to close. His breathing to slow. Slowly, yet surely, he felt himself losing consciousness and falling into the pretty dreamland ahead of him.

For Ally, this was all too perfect. Who would have guessed that he would chose to lean against the EXACT tree that she was spying on him in? And he was asleep too? This would be a piece of cake.

Like an animal stalking its prey, Ally sneakily and methodically positioned herself directly above him. She looked down at his sleeping body. He looked so peaceful and cute with his eyes closed and a gentle smile forming on his lips. A mischievous glint appeared in Ally's eyes. She was going to enjoy this…

In a flash, she jumped. Tackling Austin to the ground, Ally landed on top of him. Austin awoke with a scream of surprise. His eyes widened as he caught sight of his attacker. The two continued to roll around over and over again on the ground, just like they did the first day of summer.

"Ally!" Austin finally managed to yell, "What are you doing?"

At this, Ally smiled. The two stopped rolling, Ally still on top.

"I found you…" she replied quietly, a smirk on her lips. She was staring directly into his eyes, and he was doing the same to her.

Austin laughed. Suddenly, hide-and-seek didn't seem like such a bad idea after all.

He looked her deep into her big, beautiful, almond eyes and without faulting said, "Two out of three?"

**Well, I hope you liked it! Today was my last final so I now have plenty of time to write. Please review! And remember, if you have any requests don't be shy! :D**


	9. Day 8

******Hey Everybody! Thank you all for the reviews! Here's an update!**

**Oh, and because I always forget, I do NOT own Austin and Ally. I also don't own "The Lady and the Tramp" and "To Kill a Mocking Bird," which I mention in this chapter. Well, enjoy!  
**

_**Day 8**_

_BEEEEEP. BEEEEEEP. BEEEEEEEEP. BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEPPP._

Austin groaned at the noise. It was cutting into his dreams, forcing him into consciousness. He turned over in his bed, pushing a pillow over his face and ears.

_BEEEEEEEEEEEP._

It was still there. Screaming at him. He held his pillow tighter.

_BEEEEEEEEEEEEEPPPPPPPPPPP._

That sound! That annoying, intolerable sound! Where was it coming from? Why was it here! It was so loud, so endless. How could he sleep like this? Someone make it stop! MAKE IT STOP!

_BEEEEEEPPPPPPPPP._

"TURN OFF THAT STUPID ALARM CLOCK ALREADY!"

Huh? Though Austin certainly felt that angry, those words most definitely did not come from him. He turned a bleary eye towards the source of the voice, catching the sight of a black-haired kid with a wild bed-head. Of course, it was Brian. Who else would be in his room this early in the morning?

"Waahh?" he replied, his mind still quite fuzzy from waking, "Alarm clock?"

"Yes! The alarm clock!" he explained, "The one you plugged in last night so you wouldn't wake up late again. You know, like you did yesterday."

"Oh yeah!" The memory was back. This noise WAS from his alarm clock. And if that were true, that means that he could easily turn it off.

In a flash, Austin shot out his hand. He felt around for a second before pressing the snooze button, finally stopping the intolerable noise that had been plaguing him.

"Why did you set it this early, anyway?" Brian asked in a mumble, "We have an hour and a half before the cafeteria even opens! Do you really need that long to get ready?

Austin thought back to why he had plugged in the stupid alarm clock in the first place. In complete truth, the only reason he had done it was so that he could get up, showered, and dressed early. Then, he could go to Ally's door and walk her to breakfast. If he didn't, there would be danger of missing her. He didn't want to miss out on his only chance.

And so, despite how his body and mind protested, Austin dragged himself out of bed. In one, long groan he showered, got dressed, and was out the door. Thirty minutes before the cafeteria was even unlocked. He was making good progress, but he still had to hurry. Ally was a naturally early riser, and she loved to be on time. She might leave any minute!

Half walking, half running to the girls' dormitories, Austin made it to Ally's room in less than five minutes. Huffing with every breath, he debated whether to knock or just wait for her to leave. Just as he had done a few days ago, he decided to wait in order to avoid the obvious appearance of desperation. He sat down opposite her door and began to wait. He waited for a long, long time….

* * *

_Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock._

"Urhhhggggg"

Ally groaned loudly at the loud, jolting taps on her door. Usually, if she were her normal bright, cheery self, Ally would have been perfectly fine going up to the door to see who it was. But not today. Today, all she could think about was the knocking pain in her skull. The churning heat in the pit of her stomach. The awful, uncomfortable-ness of being too hot and too cold at the same time. If there were any definition of the term "sick," this would be it. She was, indeed, not feeling well at all.

_Knock. Knock. Knock._

Ally groaned again, this time louder.

"Don't worry, Ally," she heard her roommate, Amanda, say, "I'll get it. You just stay in bed."

Amanda was on her way to leave for breakfast, anyway. She had only stayed this long in order to make sure that Ally was alright and able to take care of herself.

Ally nodded as a thank-you as her friend slowly walked over to the door and opened it.

Immediately, Austin barged in.

"Ally!" he yelled loudly, making her head bang even harder, "Where have you been? Breakfast is almost over!"

To the appreciation of Ally, Amanda answered for her.

"She's sick, Austin," she heard her roommate say, "She's not going to breakfast today. Or to any of her classes, for that matter."

Immediately, a pang of panic and worry swept Austin's face. Ally was touched by the effect of her being sick had on him, but she felt too horrible to say anything about it. She only mumbled, signaling to Austin that she was indeed sick.

Austin rushed to her side in an instant.

"Well, I guess Austin can take it from here," Amanda spoke up from the door, "See you later, Ally."

She shut the door, leaving a worried Austin and a very sick Ally alone in the room.

"Ally! Oh my gosh, are you alright?"

Austin's voice was rushed, filled with panic and worry. It was kind, but unneeded.

"I'm fine, Austin," Ally replied, trying to be as nice as possible, "Get back to breakfast, I don't want you to miss out on anything. Why did you even come here anyway?"

Austin blushed, fully prepared to give her some bogus story about how he just "happened" to be going to breakfast late and "accidently" knocked on her door, but he stopped himself. He knew that if Ally were in this situation, she would tell the truth. The least he could do was be honest back.

"I wanted to walk with you to breakfast," Austin explained, "So I was sitting by you're door waiting for you to come out. But after you didn't come out for a while, and I realized that breakfast was almost over, I kinda sorta got a little bit…. Scared. I knew you wouldn't be late on purpose, so I thought something happened to you. Which is why I might have freaked out and started attacking your door…."

Despite how horrible Ally felt, she couldn't help but laugh.

"That's really sweet, Austin," Ally told him cutely, "Thank you for caring. But, honestly, you should really get going now. I don't want you to be late for any of your classes."

Austin stayed silent for a moment, an expression on his face that Ally couldn't quite figure out. Finally, a strange grin spread across his features and a happy glint appeared in his eyes. Taken aback by his sudden change in mood, Ally stayed silent, a puzzled expression on her face. She waited for him to speak, an opportunity he took up quite gratefully.

"No, Ally," he finally said, confusing her even more, "I will NOT go to breakfast. In fact, I'm not going to ANY of my classes today. I'm just going to stay here and spend all day taking care of you!"

The glint in his eyes was so prudent now. So excited and joyous, that Ally actually felt guilty taking it away from him.

"I'm sorry, Austin," she said a little guiltily, "But absolutely NOT. You need to go to class now! You might miss important information, and if you don't go everybody will know that you skipped."

She paused for a second, before continuing.

"And besides," she added quickly, "I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself."

She attempted to huff at him, but with her nose stuffed up and her throat all red and soar, she failed miserably. This only strengthened her opponents case.

"Look, Als," Austin responded, crossing his arms so that she knew he meant business, "I don't care about missing class. Even if I did go today I wouldn't be able to focus or pay attention anyway because all I'd be able to think about is you. And I don't care if I get in trouble! What are they gonna do? Expel me?"

He laughed for a moment at the prospect. Ally was not amused.

"None of that changes the fact that I don't need you to take care of me!" yelled Ally defiantly.

"Well that's the point," added Austin, "We all know that the 'Great and Amazing Ally Dawson' can easily take care of herself, but does that mean that she can't accept help every once in a while? Don't you see? This sickness is a way for you to finally relax, Ally! Just close your eyes and forget about your troubles for a day, let me take care of everything! If your hungry or thirsty or bored or… anything at all, just call me and I can take care of it! I think you really deserve a sick day."

He smiled at her smugly, proud of his argument. He looked at her dead in the eyes, daring her to make a counter.

Ally, indeed, opened her mouth to argue, but then she stopped herself. She could see it in his eyes, a bland spark of determination that told her that no matter what she said or did, Austin would not change his mind. Arguing was useless.

Ally sighed in defeat. Though she was seriously annoyed, she had to admit that this new look in Austin's eyes was very…. Intriguing.

"Fine, Austin," she said to him, annoyance evident in her tone, "Do whatever you want. I won't stop you."

"YES!" Austin shouted in victory, a smug yet joyous smile building on his features, "Well, what are you waiting for? Relax, already!"

Ally chuckled at this. Clearly, Austin didn't understand that there was more to relaxing than just having someone yell it in your ear. To truly relax, one must be completely psychologically free of worry, or at least able to overlook worry to the point where it no longer seemed to be there. She might get to a point of relaxation and serenity today, but at the same time she might not. There really was no way to certainly tell, and Austin's yelling clearly was not helping.

She could have told him all this, but because she was so tired and sick all that managed to come out of her mouth was a very simple, "M'kay."

Out of nowhere, Ally suddenly received a burst of self-consciousness. Because she was so terribly sick, Ally could only imagine how horrible she looked right now. Her hair was probably a dry and tangled mess, resembling that of a rat's nest. Her skin was most likely patchy, a quilt of oily and dryness taking up her body. Her nose was probably full of snot and mucus, slowing and unattractively dripping out of her nose. Her eyes must be shallow and weak, surrounded by dark, dreary circles. Her lips were probably cracked and dry, rendering crunchy and un-kissable. She wasn't sure why this was all bothering her so much, but it really did. Austin was her FRIEND for god-sakes! Why would he care what she looked like when she was sick? But for whatever reason, Ally's self-consciousness grew and she found herself sinking ever more deeply under the covers.

It didn't take long for Austin to notice Ally's sudden change of character. For a moment he pondered why she was acting this way, but as he watch her avoid his eyes and attempt to hide her face from him, all was made clear.

"Oh, Ally," he said kindly, cupping her face in his hands and pulling it to face his, "Don't be so insecure. You're just as beautiful as you've always been. Trust me, not even an illness can hide your glow."

Austin was taken aback for a second as he realized just how much he had said to her. Not that it wasn't true, for each and every word came from the bottom of his heart, but he never expected himself to reveal that much. Even now, as the blush filled her cheeks, she looked a thousand-times more beautiful than ever. He smiled at her, causing her to redden even more.

"Thank you," were the only words that she managed to choke out. She was far too touched at the fact that he had called her beautiful and complimented her "glow" to even attempt to say more. But Austin knew enough to understand just how much power that simple thank-you held.

"No problem," he whispered to her, stroking her hair and gazing into her almond brown eyes without a hitch.

Ally suddenly became aware just how close their faces were. So close that their noses were mere inches apart. Instead of backing off, as she might have done before, Ally felt the sudden and powerful urge to get even closer, fill in the space between them. She looked into Austin's eyes and could clearly see that he felt this too. She might have even gone with this strange desire, too, if not for the fact that she was sick.

"You might want to back away from me, Austin," Ally said to him shyly, breaking him out of a trance, "I don't want to get you sick or anything. You might catch my germs if you get to close."

"Oh… um, yeah," Austin said awkwardly, an embarrassed blush appearing on his cheeks as he rubbed the back of his neck, "Wouldn't….um…..want that to happen. Better….stay away, for now, I guess. Hehe…um…."

Ally too felt the awkwardness and tension in the air. She laughed awkwardly, her eyes pleading for someone or something to break the ice that was so readily forming. Once she realized that no one was coming to the rescue, however, she decided that she must take it on herself.

"Austin, can you grab me a tissue," she asks politely. Though this question is partially to the break the ice, she really does need a tissue at the moment. He hands one to her and she blows her nose into it, no longer caring how she looks.

"So, what do you suppose we should do?" she says once she is done, eyeing him skeptically, "I mean, there really isn't a lot of options when the boundaries are confined to this room."

Austin looks around the room, eyeing her desk and searching. Suddenly, he spots something and gets an excited look in his eye. He picks it up and presents it to her.

"I'll read you this!" he exclaims proudly, holding up her '_To Kill a Mocking Bird' _book and shoving it in her face.

"Austin, that's really kind of you to offer," Ally begins to explain, "But that's a really complicated book. You may not understand it, and even if you do you probably won't like it. How about we do something else?"

"No way!" Austin shouts, surprising her, "Today is not about ME having fun, it's about YOU relaxing! If this book is going to help you relax, then it's my job to read it to you!"

Ally rolled her eyes, but complied. She laid down her head on the soft, cushiony surface of her pillow and allowed her eyelids to gently flutter shut. She was simply too sick to even bother to argue.

"I was on page 53," she tells him, and he obediently flips to it and begins to read.

He starts off uneasily, clearly afraid he might talk to fast or mumble so that Ally wouldn't be able to understand him. He mispronounces difficult words and Ally can clearly tell that he doesn't understand half of what he's saying. The more and more he talks, however, the less Ally seems to pay attention to what he's saying. Hearing the actual story seems to become way less important, the real importance being laid on Austin's voice itself. His voice is soft and smooth, and although this analogy is way overused, she'd describe it like butter on bread. It's deep, but not too deep, giving the perfect tone for the voice of a boy who's not yet a man. Ally finds a strange sort of comfort in this voice. It makes her muscles relax, her tension release. It makes her feel safe and protected. She wonders about this. Is it because he's her friend? That couldn't be it, because Trish certainly didn't make her feel this way. Was it because he was a boy? That couldn't be it either, because Dez's voice definitely did not have this affect on her. Whatever it was, Ally liked it. She laid her head even deeper into the pillow, allowing herself to slowly drift to sleep under the tune of her own special melody…

"Hey Ally?"

That voice. Austin's voice. Ally only just realizes that he has stopped his drone of words, only to be replaced by an actual question that she would be expected to answer. She had gotten so close to falling asleep, had been at the thin boundary between consciousness and dream, drifting there silently as she slowly and steadily sank towards sleep. But his sudden words had pulled her out of it. Ally opens her eyes and looks at him, careful not to let him know that she had been so close to sleeping. For a boy who was supposed to be making her comfortable, it would only bring unnecessary guilt.

"Yes, Austin?" she replied steadily.

"Why is this book called '_To Kill a Mocking Bird'_ anyway? I mean, none of the characters are mockingbirds! They don't even kill mockingbirds at all! In fact, they only mention mockingbirds like…. four times in the entire book. What's that about?"

Ally resisted the urge to roll her eyes at his foolish question. Instead, she patiently answers, talking in a calm voice as if she were speaking to a little child.

"It's a metaphor, Austin," she explains kindly, "The mockingbird is used symbolically as a way to refer to the innocence of Tom Robinson, and the unlawful punishment of him. And near the end it's also a reference to Boo Radly. The author is saying that since it's a sin to kill a mockingbird due to its innocence, which he mentions several times throughout the book, then it is also a sin to harm Tom or Boo because in reality they didn't do or cause anybody harm."

She looks at Austin to see if he understood. His face is completely and utterly blank. Clearly he did not. She rolls her eyes and begins again.

"Because the author likes mockingbirds…."

"Oh I get it!" says Austin proudly, happy to have figured it out. Ally chuckles at his foolishness. He was just so darn… cute.

"So, Austin," she says, not that everything has calmed down, "What do you suppose we do now?"

Austin looks at her for a second, clearly thinking, before an idea pops into his mind. He swiftly reaches into his backpack and pulls out a tablet.

"We can watch a movie!" he says cheerily, "How about _Lady and the Tramp_? It's a good one and I have it downloaded right on my tablet!"

"Ok," Ally laughs, "But why do you have _Lady and the Tramp_ downloaded?"

Austin looks away sheepishly. He chuckles with awkwardness and responds as he rubs the back of his neck.

"Not because I like romance movies and cartoons, if that's what your thinking. Hehehe…" he replies with such high pitch that Ally knows the opposite is true. She refrains from laughing as he sets up the tablet on Ally's lap and positions himself right next to her bed so that he can see too. In a flash, the movie is on and the two of them are subconsciously snuggled close, watching.

* * *

"Oh Ally, its lunch time already! Are you hungry? I'll go to the cafeteria and get you something!"

Before she can even respond, Austin pauses the movie and runs out of the room, in search for food. She laughs at his blind enthusiasm. Critics could say what they wanted about Austin Moon, but nobody could deny that he had a big heart.

Ally looks back at the screen of the tablet. It was paused at the famous "spaghetti and meatballs scene," nearly an hour into the movie, where Lady and Tramp slurp the same piece of spaghetti until their lips, or more accurately 'snouts', meet. Ally smiles at the cute picture in front of her. Since she was a little girl, Ally always thought that Lady and the Tramp made the perfect couple. Lady was just a quiet, shy, well-behaved dog. She was smart and kind, as well as being very pretty. The Tramp, however, was almost the exact opposite. He was wildly social and unpredictable, with a knack for causing trouble. Though not specifically smart, he was very cunning and underneath his tough exterior he had a heart of gold. These clear difference were what, in Ally's opinion, made the two dogs perfect for each other. They balanced each other out, making the perfect team. What one couldn't do, the other could. The only small problem was that Lady was a lot shorter than the Tramp. But, to Ally, that only made their relationship even cuter. Watching them on the screen, staring into each other's eyes despite their height difference, was simply priceless. How could they not be soul mates?

For some reason, this whole "Lady and the Tramp" relationship reminded her of something else. She couldn't quite put her finger on it…

Suddenly, Ally's door banged open, snapping Ally out of her thoughts.

"Here!" Austin yelled, "I brought you food!"

Ally half expected to see a plate of spaghetti. Instead, Austin brought in a large bowl of steaming chicken noodle soup. Ally smiled at the cheesiness. Yes of course, soup is the classic "sick people food."

Ally slurped her soup with gratitude. When she was done, Austin un-paused the movie and the two children began to watch.

* * *

"That was fun," Austin said cheerily, "I haven't seen that movie in a while. It reminded me of when I was a little kid."

It's been an hour since lunch, and the movie has since finished. Credits are pouring in and Austin no longer watches so intently.

He turns to Ally to see that she is no longer conscious, but deep in sleep. He smiles. She looks so peaceful when she's asleep. Her cheeks are pink with the fever and her hair caresses her face perfectly. The light from the window illuminates her features, making her look like an angel. He smiles even wider this time. He can't take his eyes off her. She really is beautiful, isn't she.

Before he can even figure out what he's doing, Austin leans forward and plants a gentle, soft kiss on her forehead. He feels the heat from the fever, and immediately feels a surge of pity for his sick friend.

"Good night, Ally," he whispers to her softly, gently petting her hair, "Let's hope your dreams are as sweet as you."

**This was kind of rushed, but I still hope you liked it! If you did (and even if you didn't) please review and tell me what you think! Thanks :D**


	10. Day 9

**Hey everybody! I just wanna say, thank you all for the reviews! I'm hoping that after I post this chapter I'll have more than 100 reviews, which is AWESOME considering the fact that the most reviews I've gotten with some of my other fanfics is 33. This chapter is a little shorter than my others, I think, but don't worry it still has TONS of auslly. Enjoy!**

_**Day Ten**_

_This stinks. It really, really stinks. _

Austin sits in a wooden chair in the corner of an empty classroom. He's leaning his head against his hand, breathing slow, irritated breaths and half-heartedly drumming his fingers on his desk. He hates those teachers. Every single one of them. Who do they think they are, anyway? Taking away his free time, his Austin and Ally time, for something as stupid as that! They have no idea, no idea at all!

The day had started out just like any other. Austin had gotten up early, miraculously still healthy even after spending all yesterday taking care of the sick, and had gone to check on his best friend. Luckily, whatever sickness Ally had had was now completely out of her system. She was as fresh as an apple, talking cheerily about who-knows-what. Austin was excited, waiting eagerly for class to start just so it would be over sooner. He expected to have a great day.

It all turned upside down, however, when biology started. Austin and Ally had walked in the classroom, side-by-side, chatting lightly about how many jobs Trish must have been fired from while they were gone. Ally had gone forward to lay her books on her desk and Austin went to follow her when he felt a strong hand on his shoulder, pulling him back. Austin turned around only to be face-to-face with Mr. Sherman, his biology teacher. Mr. Sherman was known to be the harshest, cruelest councilor in the entire camp, and he lived up to his reputation.

"Where were you yesterday?" Mr. Sherman asked, his extravagant voice booming across the classroom, "You were absent from my class, as well as every other."

Austin silently gulped. He didn't know what to say. If he told the truth he would obviously get into trouble, and any lie would be feeble and easily seen through. He resisted the urge to glance at Ally. Mr. Sherman was very observant and would surely notice. He didn't want Ally to get linked to his crime.

When Austin stayed silent, Mr. Sherman continued. "Both you and Ally Dawson were absent from all your classes yesterday. Ally, however, called in sick and was proven to be. You did not so much as tell anybody anything. Care to explain yourself?"

His ice-cold eyes were staring at Austin, judging him with fierce seniority. Austin held himself back, trying hard to not look as guilty as he felt.

_It's not like I did anything bad, _thought Austin, _I was just helping a sick friend. She needed me. Can't you just accept that and move on?_

But clearly, Mr. Sherman could not accept that. He held his glare, drowning Austin in such thick silence that suddenly the only possible thing to do was speak up. Whatever he said, whether truth or a lie, it didn't matter. He just needed to end this glare and break this silence, before it broke him.

"I slept in!" Austin yelled suddenly. The words came out of nowhere and Austin did not expect them. But as soon as they rolled off his tongue he knew that he must stick to his story, even if it wasn't the best.

"Yeah, I slept it," Austin added quickly, "My alarm clock broke and didn't go off, so I didn't wake up until classes were already over. I'm sorry, it won't happen again."

Mr. Sherman waited in silence for a moment. Staring at Austin as if deciding whether or not to trust him. The story was believable enough, but the way he said it was as if he had something much more incriminating to hide.

As he looked at him, a thousand thoughts a second rushed through Austin's head. He was expecting, any second now, for Mr. Sherman to bring up evidence that would prove that he was lying. There were plenty of plot holes in his story, and he knew that they were not very well hidden. Why, for instance, had his roommate Bryan not woken him up? And, if he were asleep all afternoon, then why had several people witnessed him going to lunch and ordering soup? His story was flimsy and horribly crafted, and he felt in the pit of his stomach a sense of crushing dread that Mr. Sherman, or any teacher for that matter, would see right through it.

Miraculously, however, Mr. Sherman did not see anything of the sort. After a minute, he spoke up and softly, yet still harshly, said, "Very well then."

Austin had sighed a breath of relief, all the pressures and tensions releasing from his muscles. _Thank god,_ he had thought to himself, _That could have been ugly…_

He was turning to go to his seat, however, when a voice spoke up from behind him.

"Where do you think your going?" Mr. Sherman asked in a cold, clinical drawl, "You missed class. I have yet to hand out your punishment. I can't just let such an act of foolishness and ignorance go without consequences, can I? For your entire free period I expect you to be here. For detention."

When he caught the look of horror and exasperation on Austin's face, he added, "You're lucky I don't detain you any more, Mr. Moon." Then he sent Austin back to his seat and went to his desk, teaching the class about some stupid species of manatees while Austin quietly despaired.

And now, here he was. Alone in a large, chilly room during his only time of day which he could devote entirely to Ally. This was the worst possible punishment he could think of. Anything would be better than this. ANYTHING! Austin groaned to himself. The chair he was sitting in wasn't even the tiniest bit comfortable, and now his back and shoulders ached with pain and stiffness. Stupid detention.

Austin grumbled to himself, remarking how it was so unfair that Mr. Sherman didn't even bother to stay here with him. He, too, had somewhere to go during free time, and didn't even bother to watch Austin endure the torture he installed on him. He just left, locking the door so that he could not escape. Not like Austin wanted him here though, he'd probably just yell at him for the simplest of things, but still, the least he could do was BE HERE for god sakes!

Austin moaned, louder this time. This was great; just great. He threw his face in his hands in exasperation, and for a moment, a brief moment, he missed Ally with such a burning fire that he could have cried like child, would have done anything at all just to see her face for a split second. But the moment was gone in a flash, and soon the pain of missing Ally was down to a dull, itching ache in his heart. These strange, powerful feeling he'd been having of Ally recently had now been going on long enough that he no longer questioned them. He just went with them, every second of the day.

_God, I miss you Ally, _Austin thought to himself as he closed his eyes in concentration. He could just see her now, smiling and laughing with a beautiful twinkle in her eyes. He could just smell her now, the sweet, delicate sent of strawberries and lavender. He could just feel her now, her soft, warm lips pressed against his cheek like he always dreamed she would do.

And now, in a memory far more realistic and powerful than the others, he could hear her. "Austin," she said sweetly, "Open your eyes. Open your eyes! I'm here!"

No, wait. This was no mere memory. No mere hallucination. Those words, those beautiful, magnificent words, were real. They had come from her mouth. Straight from her vocal cords. She was HERE!

Austin opened his eyes and, sure enough, there she was. Right in front of his eyes, smiling that smile that he just couldn't get enough of. Ally. Just the girl he wanted to see.

He was dumbstruck for a moment, unable to speak. Ally? She was here? WHY?!

Ally noticed the look of surprise on his face and giggled cutely. She looked left and right, checking to make sure that they were alone, and then walked towards him.

"I snuck in here!" she said quietly, clear excitement and exhilaration in her voice, "I missed you and so I came in through the window! I really did it! I've never done anything this bad before! Oh my gosh, I can't believe I actually did it!"

Austin was stunned for a second at what she actually said, but as soon as his mind wrapped around her words, he laughed out loud.

"You really snuck in here?" He laughed at the idea of sweet, perfect Ally climbing in through a second story window just so she could get IN to detention.

Ally nodded, a look in her eyes that was a mix of nervousness and excitement. "It was just like climbing the tree when we went to see the fireworks," she told him, "Except this time the tree was this building, and the fireworks were you."

He tried unsuccessfully not to blush at this. She really did care about him, didn't she.

Finally, after the pink in his cheeks died down, Austin spoke up. "That's really awesome of you Ally, I really appreciate it. But what are you going to do here? You'll be bored out of your mind. Just go back down and hang out with Amanda, I'll be fine."

Ally laughed. Austin was confused for a moment, but then he got it too. That was just what Ally told him yesterday when she got sick. But did Austin listen? Of course not. And Ally wasn't about to listen, either.

"Do you think I went through all that trouble to get up here just to climb back down again?" she asked him in a dangerous tone which Austin found quite alluring, "Come on, don't be ridiculous. I'm not leaving until your detention is done."

"But even with you I won't have anything to do up here," Austin argued, "Now instead of just me being bored, we'll both be bored. Its such a waste."

"Well then I guess we're gonna just have to be bored together," Ally replied mischievously, "And besides, I always come prepared to class."

At this she took off the bag hanging from her shoulders and pulled out, what else, but a board game. But not just any board game: Monopoly. Austin's favorite.

"I got it from Bryan," Ally said, answering the question he was just about to ask, "That kid has everything. Now, enough questions, lets play!"

For the next two hours the two kids played together. A silly, childish smile on each of their faces. Ally was the dog and Austin was the hamburger, the same two pieces they always used. To both of their pleasures, there was neither a clear winner nor a clear loser throughout the entire game. They were always neck-and-neck, in a stalemate. That was the best kind of game, in Austin's opinion. No one knew who was going to win and who was going to lose. It made every move ten times more exciting.

The money was really starting to pile up when Ally's phone suddenly buzzed. A text. Swiftly, she picked her phone up and read. Her eyes went wide and she jumped from her seat.

"Austin!" she yelled hurriedly, already scooping up the game board and throwing the money in the box, "Amanda just texted me. She and Bryan were staking out Mr. Sherman for me, to make sure that he stayed away, but he's coming now! I have to go!"

Austin jumped up too and immediately began helping her clean up, wiping away any trace that she had been here. Just when they were done packing up, the children heard footsteps walking down the hall, towards them.

"Go now, Ally!" Austin whispered to her. Ally began running towards the window, but then stopped and turned back. Before Austin could even ask what she was doing, Ally rushed towards him and planted a warm, soft kiss on his cheek. Then, without waiting for his response, she rushed out the window and climbed down, disappearing from view.

Austin just stood there, shocked. Did she really just do that? He couldn't believe it. It must have been his imagination. But no, she had to have done it. He could still feel the warmth on his cheek in the area she had touched, tingling slightly with giddiness. It had been so warm, so soft, so perfect. It wasn't like the kiss he had imagined, it was better.

Suddenly, he door banged open. It was Mr. Sherman. He saw Austin standing there and looked him up and down suspiciously.

"Why do you look so happy, Moon?" he said angrily.

"I'm not happy," Austin denied, "I'm not happy at all."

It was the single biggest lie he had ever told in his entire life.

**Well, that was it! I really hoped you liked it, even if it was really short. **

**I'm going to let you guys into a little secret now... this fanfic is coming really close to being half-way done. Because of this, I'm going to have to start creating some REAL romance between Austin and Ally really, really soon. So, be aware, this "just-friends" thing between them is coming to a close. These next few chapters are just going to be PACKED with auslly ;) **


	11. Day 10

**Hey everybody! I'm here with my new update. Last chapter, as you can see, I got the hundred reviews I was looking for! Now I'm at 110, and I'm really excited about it! I promise you guys, I read EVERY SINGLE review that you post, and as you may already know, I respond to all of them except the ones that are posted by anons (since i cant respond to those guys, but trust me I still really appreciate them). So I just wanna say, thank you. Here's the update, you guys really deserve it :)**

_**Day 10**_

"I don't know what you're talking about…."

The words rang out in the small, confined room, nearly echoing in the empty space, piercing both boys' ears in a shallow, empty way. Both knew the obvious denial hidden beneath those words, yet only one was willing to recognize it.

"Come on, Austin. Don't play dumb. I'm your friend, you can tell me."

The boy who spoke smirked to himself, finding the humor in the situation. He knew he was going to win this. He had the truth on his side, while Austin only had lies. It was inevitable. The only aspect now left undecided was how long it would take for him to admit it. Not very long, Bryan decided. Austin was in deep denial, but he had already started to realize his feelings before even Bryan had began to meddle. It was time now.

"I really don't know what you mean, Bryan," Austin repeated, even less convincingly than to begin with, "I do NOT like Ally! Not at all! Why would you even think that!?"

Bryan raised his eyebrows. 'Really Austin?' his expression seemed to say, 'You don't understand why I think you like Ally? You expect me to believe that?!'

Austin looked towards the ground, at his shoes, clearly avoiding his roommates's gaze. Bryan knew that he was breaking now. It would only be a matter of time before he realized the truth…

Bryan remembers for a second how he got Austin into this situation in the first place. This whole thing started just about an hour or two before, and it wasn't even of his doing. Class was going on just like it always did when the councilors suddenly came up with the seemingly "brilliant" idea to use the campers—against their will, mind you—to do a gender experiment. They separated the boys and girls into small, two-person groups. Each pair went into their own room and did a complex, yet do-able, magnet experiment. One third of the groups had two boys, one third of the groups had two girls, and the last third of the groups had a mix of one boy and one girl. By monitoring how effective the experiment was, the councilors would be able to understand how gender played a role in scientific projects. By pure coincidence, Austin and Bryan had been paired together, assigned to a small, greying room with a big desk in the middle. They had already finished and submitted their experiment and were now just waiting for the rest of the groups in the other rooms to turn theirs in too, so that they could leave. They had no choice but to talk, and no way to get away, which was why Bryan had chosen exactly this moment for the supposed 'intervention.'

Austin currently was struggling to speak. He was tongue-tied, unable to do anything but stare in fear. He didn't know why he was feeling so anxious, but in some way, deep down inside his unconscious mind, he knew EXACTLY why. He was afraid because he knew that Bryan was touching down on the truth. And the truth is always scary.

"Admit it, Austin," Bryan went on, breaking the silence, "You like her. Don't be embarrassed about it, or anything. I mean, look at her! Who wouldn't love a girl like that!"

Austin wanted to argue with him, but in some way Austin knew what he was saying was true. Ally was undeniable gorgeous. Nearly every boy in this camp had already taken notice of her, and of course he didn't like that. Austin had had to work extremely hard to keep them away. It was exhausting.

"Even now," Bryan continued, not giving up, "You can't stop thinking about her. You like her even when she's not with us. I mean, you've been brooding all day just because you had to miss one single free time to spend with her. Don't deny it, its so obvious that you're in LOOOOOVVEEE with her!"

"NO I'M NOT!" Austin yelled, nearly affirming Bryan's belief that he was indeed in denial. Austin was angry and defensive, his eyes fuming with the fire of his rage. What had he done to deserve an interrogation, anyway? He had always been a good friend to Bryan, and HOW does he repay him!? HE ACCUSES HIM OF LIKING HIS BEST FRIEND! This was not cool, not cool at all.

Bryan resisted the urge to smirk at him. He didn't want to do anything that might undo any of the progress they were doing.

"Austin, come on," Bryan began. This was it; he was going in for the kill. He spoke with compassion, a truthful voice that he knew Austin would believe. "You talk about her all the time. You hang out with her all the time. And I can tell that you think about her all the time, too. I get that you guys were just friends once—I understand, I do—but time goes on and things change. Your relationship has changed into something more, and I know that you know it. You like her, Austin. What you two have is more than friendship. Everyone knows. Everybody but you and Ally. There's no point in hiding it. Embrace it, and I'm sure you'll be a lot happier"

Austin's mouth opened, ready to argue his heart out, when suddenly he froze. A look of complete realization appeared on his face. This time, Bryan let his smirk show. The deed was done. Austin had finally reached the correct conclusion. He just knew it.

In Austin's own head, time seemed to stop. Everything stopped. It was as if his entire brain had just reconnected with its missing piece, and now needed to shut down in order for it to process and absorb this new and improved information. His own mind was flooded with picture after picture of memories he thought he already knew. But now he saw these memories in a brand new light, so that it was like he had never even seen them to begin with. Ally's face, soft and sweet, staring at him with a bright, white smile, and himself being unable to look away. The two of them; cuddling on a hammock, swimming in a lake, singing on the grass, climbing up a tree. Thinking to himself that Ally was far more beautiful than a sunset, telling Ally that he would never, ever let her go. Missing her beyond comprehension whenever he had the misfortune to be away from her. It was all so clear. How could he have not seen this before? He liked her, it was so obvious now. He knew it, he always knew it.

"Oh my god…" Austin began, a mix of honest surprise, genuine horror, and tingling excitement playing on his face, "I… like… Ally! No wait, it's more than that. I think I might love her!"

Bryan laughed. "Of course you do, bro. I told you so."

Austin ignored his friend and went on rambling, pacing around the room in nervousness. "Oh my god. OH MY GOD! What am I going to do? What SHOULD I do? I don't know! I mean, I know I like her, but dating might be a bad idea. What if we date and breakup and our careers get ruined? Or worse; our friendship! And what if she doesn't even like me back!? What should I do?"

Bryan sighed. "Look, Austin," he said, laying his hand on his shoulder, "When we're let out of this stupid experiment, just go back to our dorm and go to sleep. It's late, so you wouldn't be able to speak to Ally anyway. Think about everything I just told you, make a decision, and go with what you think is right. I'd help you, but I don't think it's in my power to decide. My job was to make you realize your feelings, and now that you've done that all you have to do is figure out what to do with them. Good luck."

At this, the conversation was over. They both sat in silence for twenty more minutes, processing the conversation. Austin thought of Ally. Of what he was going to do with these newfound feelings, which deep down he had known he had been feeling all along. And Bryan thought of just how happy Amanda would be to know that his mission was a success. Now all she had to do was do the same thing to Ally, and soon the young couple in love would be on their way.

Eventually, the door was opened and Austin and Bryan were released. Just as Bryan suggested, Austin walked all the way to his room, not trying to find Ally first as he usually would have done. He quickly dressed in pajamas, brushed his teeth, and got in bed, preparing himself for a long, sleepless night…

**Well, there it is. Austin finally realized his feelings for Ally! Isn't that awesome :P?**

** Sorry for the shortness and the lack of auslly in this chapter. It was necessary for this fic, so I had to do it. But don't worry, this auslly-less chapter is only leading towards tons of more auslly in the future. You just have to be patient! Please read and review! :D :D :D**


	12. Day 11

**Hello everybody! Here is the new update for my chapter! I hope you guys like it! :D**

_**Day 11**_

Light. Brightness. Shine.

Warmth. Heat. Comfort.

Even with her eyes closed, Ally can still see the sunlight seeping through her eyelids. Still feel the heat beating down on her face. Still smell the faint scent of pine and grass in the air around her. It's bright, it's hot, it's powerful. Un-ignorable. Slowly and comfortably, it pulls her from her pleasant, dreamy sleep by stimulating her senses, waking up her body so that her mind will follow.

Ever gently, Ally opens her eyes just a crack. The light floods in, burning her sockets and causing her to squint even more. Once her pupils have dilated enough, Ally widens her eyes and allows herself to look around. The light, the heat, the smell all come from the same, small window facing her bed. Ally opened it last night and must have forgotten to close it again. She sighs. Not from exhaustion or frustration, but of relief. She can think of no better way to wake up then from the feel of nature.

Nearly wide awake now, Ally turns to her side to look at her alarm clock. It's one minute before her usual wake up time. I beat you, Ally thinks jokingly as she waits for the familiar, repeated sound of the alarm. Once it goes off, she shoots her hand out in two seconds flat and turns it off, throwing her feet off the side of the bed and sitting up. She thinks about leaving the window open, but decides against it, not wanting bugs to get inside.

In a flash she showers, brushes her teeth, and gets dressed with time to spare. She's excited today, yet she doesn't know why. She tries to think of any reason that might explain her sudden joyous attitude, but none come to her. It's as if the part of her brain that controls feelings knows something that the rest of her doesn't, and it's celebrating because of it. Whatever, Ally thinks finally, who am I to complain about being happy?

With a spring in her step, Ally walks out of her dorm room with Amanda at her side. They're chatting lightly, joking about what the camp is going to do next to take advantage of their campers. Ally subconsciously notices that Amanda keeps subtly mentioning Austin's name in conversation. She wonders why for a second, but then dismisses the idea, figuring that it's only a coincidence.

But now that she mentioned Austin, Ally remembers that she hadn't seen him at all yesterday during free time. She looked for him after the experiment was over, but Bryan told him that he had already gone to bed. She didn't want to admit it, but she missed him. She felt excitement pulsing in her veins at the thought of seeing him again.

"Hey, Amanda," Ally says suddenly, "Would you mind if we went by Austin's room and walked to breakfast with him? I haven't seen him since class yesterday."

Amanda smiles, though Ally isn't sure why. "Sure, why not?" she says nonchalantly, the corners of her mouth still turned upwards.

At this, the two girls turn around and start heading towards the boys' dorm. Nearly skipping, Ally chats happily to her friend all the way to her destination. She knocks on Austin's door, so caught up in seeing his face that she doesn't notice Amanda silently slipping away into oblivion.

* * *

Inside his room, Austin hears the light, tapping sound on the other side of his door. He knows who it is immediately—there's only one suspect, really—and his heart beats a thousand beats per minute. It flutters in his chest like a hummingbird, perfectly in tune with the butterflies in his stomach. Ally. The name is so beautiful, so wonderful, and yet all it does is make him nervous.

He slowly trudges up to the door, taking deep breathes to calm himself. He lays his fingers around the curvature of the doorknob, but he can't for the life of him get his wrist to turn. Last night, Bryan told him to think about his feelings for Ally and decide what he wants to do with them. Though Austin can positively say that he did a _lot _of thinking about Ally last night, it would be a gigantic lie to say he came up with a decision. For he didn't. He had no clue at all of what to do, and that freaked him out. Ally was here already!? He's not ready yet! What is he going to do?!

He hears the knock again, this time louder and more urgent.

"Austin, are you awake?" he hears her yell at him sweetly. He gasps inwardly. He loves her voice. He loves her everything.

To answer her question, Austin finds the courage within himself to open the door and face the girl of his dreams. He sees her and his mind starts swimming. Act normal, he tells himself, don't let Ally know that anything is different.

"Hey Ally, what's up?" he hears himself say. Good start, he thinks, keep it up.

"Hey Austin!" she replies cheerily, "Wanna walk to breakfast with me and Amanda?"

She turns to gesture to an empty space beside herself and a look of complete surprise appears on her face. She looks all around, confusion in her eyes, before turning to face Austin again.

"She was just here," Ally says, eyeing the floor suspiciously, "Oh well, I guess it doesn't matter. Do you want to walk with me?"

Austin's mouth feels dry and so all he can do is nod. She smiles at him cheerily and then grabs his wrist to pull him out of his room. He feels his stomach churn. His skin tinkles with her gentle touch. His face flushes when she catches his eye. What is wrong with him? He used to be so smooth with all the girls he liked. What has changed?

All throughout breakfast, Austin listens absentmindedly as Ally babbles on to him about something unimportant. She loves to talk, and Austin still loves to listen. But still, he can't shake that sense of nervousness he feels whenever he sees her. It's clinging on to him, refusing to even loosen its grip a tiny bit. He hates it, yet at the same time he loves it.

The rest of the day goes by far too quickly. He had been hoping to make the decision during the classes, but no such luck. He's still just as indecisive as always.

"Oh no," Austin mumbles silently to himself as a bell rings throughout the building, signaling the end of classes and the beginning of free time, "What am I going to do?"

* * *

"I was thinking, since its such a nice day out today, that we could play some Frisbee! Sounds good?"

The two teenagers are currently walking outside now, side-by-side, leaving the back entrance of the camp and entering a land of sunshine and nature. Austin nods to the skipping brunette and she smiles at him, her face lit up by the brightness behind her. It is indeed a wonderful day today, and Austin can't help but feel a wave of joy despite his overall nervousness. What's to be nervous about, anyway? He's spending an entire afternoon with the girl of his dreams on the most perfect day of the year. He should be thrilled!

Key word: should be. He still feels like he was run-over by a truck. Filled with concrete. A dozen times in a row.

Come on, Austin thinks to himself, keep it together. You've done this a million times before. Nothing has changed!

They find a nice plot of land in the middle of a grassy field, and Ally excitedly pulls out a bright orange Frisbee from her backpack. It's plastic and light, pulled out from the camp's supply closet in the basement.

"You stay here, I'll go stand over there," she directs him cutely, running about twenty meters away from him.

Once she positions herself perfectly, Ally yells out, "Pass it now! Over here!" and Austin, like a lost little puppy, obeys without question.

For the next hour, the two of them pass the Frisbee back and forth, back and forth. They laugh and smile and have fun, occasionally throwing the Frisbee way too far and having to run and get it. It's enjoyable, and Austin feels himself really begin to relax now. This isn't so bad, he thinks, why was I so nervous?

It really helps that Ally and him are so far away from each other. It's as if the greater the distance between them, the easier it is for Austin to think. Less distractions, less longing. But even distance can't lesson the love he feels for her. It's still there, as powerful as ever, the only difference being that his mind is slightly clearer when he can't smell her strawberry-scented hair, can't feel her soft, sweet skin against his own, can't hear her whisper in his ear, can't see directly into her big, beautiful, brown eyes.

Austin's so enchanted by the thoughts of his best friend that he doesn't even notice when a bright, orange piece of plastic comes flying in the air, directly towards his face. It hits him squarely in the nose, and under it's forceful push, Austin crumples to the ground. His head goes right past the soft cushion of grass, crashing with full force on the compact pile of dirt below it. Before he can even think, the lights around him fade away and everything goes dark. He blacks out.

* * *

"Austin? Austin! Are you alright?"

He wakes up less than a minute later, vaguely aware of a small figure leaning above him, touching his arm gently and sending shivers down his spine. Everything is blurry, but it's getting clearer by the minute.

"Ally?" he asks, his voice light and dizzy, "What happened?" He can't seem to remember.

She smiles at him nervously. "You and I were playing Frisbee. You must have been daydreaming or something, because when I threw it it hit you in the face and you fell over. I'm sorry, it's my fault. Are you alright?"

Austin shakes his head, but immediately he feels a spark of pain and regrets it. "It's not your fault, Ally. Don't even say that. I was the one who wasn't paying attention." He feels her warm spurts of breath on his neck. She's so close to him now, their faces merely inches away. His own breath hitches when he realizes this, and his mind starts swimming even more rapidly than it did when he fell.

"Well, come on now, Austin," he hears her say, "I think that's enough Frisbee for today. Do you think you can get up?"

Austin responds by slowly and shakily rising from the ground, grabbing Ally's soft, plushy hands for support. Very gently, she leads him to the hammock—luckily, it's very close—and lays him down. Eventually, Ally lays down next to him, just the same way they did last week. Except this time, it's different. Something has changed. Austin knows what it is, but Ally is still clueless. Not for long, though. Not for long.

After that, the two of them talk for the rest of their free time. Austin loves how they always have something to talk about. There's never any awkward silence. The only silence they have is sweet and comfortable, and both enjoy it greatly. This is the life, Austin thinks, this is the life.

* * *

"Hey Amanda! What's up?"

Ally struts into her room happily, quite content with the activities of the day, when she's met with the sight of her strange, yet kind, roommate sitting cross-legged on the edge of her bed. She's looking straight at the door, as if waiting for Ally to enter.

Amanda doesn't answer Ally's previous question, just continues to stare. "Hey Ally," she says finally, with an obviously forced smile, "Sit down for a second. Can we talk?"

Cautiously, Ally nods. What is going on? She sits on the side of the bed, fidgeting nervously. "What is it you want to talk about," Ally asks, curiosity evident in her voice.

"Austin," she responds, without hesitation.

"Austin?"

"Austin," she repeats, clarifying.

"What about him?"

"Don't act like you don't know, Ally," Amanda says seriously, "You two have been hanging out nonstop for the past eleven days of camp. And I think it's pretty obvious that you like each other."

Ally opens her mouth to argue, but Amanda interrupts her. "Don't deny it, Ally. Everybody knows it. YOU know it. It's so obvious. You guys are just meant for each other, that's all. Stop acting like you're just friends. You feel something more for him, just admit it.

Ally can't believe what she's hearing. She's so surprised that even SHE is speechless.

Finally, she finds her voice and manages to let out a feeble, "No I don't…"

Amanda laughs lightly. "Come on, Ally. This isn't helping. Don't be so embarrassed about it. It's normal to like a guy. He's cute and sweet and you guys get along so well together. It will help, it really will. You'll feel a lot better if you just accept it, you know?"

Ally's mouth is dry. Her mind is swimming. Her body is weak and shaking. Of course. Of course she likes Austin. She's always liked Austin. It's so obvious now. It's so obvious. Why had it taken an intervention for her to figure it out?

His blond, perfect hair. His bright, movie-star smile. His warm, kind eyes. His soft, calming voice. His everything. It's all so amazing. Why had she been so stubborn all this time? Why hadn't she realized it?

"You're right," she finally whispers, her voice dry and shaking, "I… like him."

At first, silence. Amanda looks at her as if she can't believe it. And then…

"EEEEEEEPPPPPPPPPPPPPP!"

Amanda jumps up from the bed, screaming with excitement, and pulls Ally into a bone-crushing, excited hug.

"I knew it!" she screamed, far more excited than Ally had ever seen this sullen, quiet girl, "I knew it, I knew it, I KNEW IT!"

Ally laughs. She can't help it. It's funny, really.

Amanda's laughter soon follows. "I can't believe you broke that quickly," she remarks, "That took no time at all!"

Ally smiles, but as her mind absorbs what just happened that smile soon fades into a worried, nervous frown.

"Oh no," she moans, "I like Austin! What am I going to do? Do I go for it and try to start a romance, or do I just continue being his friend? I don't know!"

Amanda sits up and speaks with perfect tune, as if she had already rehearsed this over and over again, "Look, Ally. I know it's a hard decision, so take your time. Think about it over the night and decide what you want to do with your new feelings. No one is rushing you, trust me. Just think. Good luck, I'm sure whatever you chose will be the right choice."

At that, Amanda walks over to her bed and lays down, signaling to Ally that the conversation is over. After changing and brushing her teeth, Ally does the same. She thinks and thinks, but no decision comes to her. She's scared now. What is she going to do? Risk her friendship and her career with Austin by trying to be more than friends? Or remain friends forever, but always with the aggravating question of "what if" pushing at the back of her mind? It's a decision that's worth more than one night's thought. Finally, after a disappointed hour or so of no progress, Ally allows herself to drift off to sleep.

Please, Ally thinks as she feels herself slipping from consciousness, whatever I decide may things turn out ok. I just want things to turn out ok.

And so, that night, both Austin and Ally have a very important decision on their minds. What to do, what to do. Little do they know that fate is already cooking up the perfect plan that will make the decision for them…

**So, what do you think? Please review and tell me, and just reminding you guys that I totally appreciate constructive criticism :). I may have a few grammatical errors because I rushed to finish, but I hope you guys will overlook them. Thanks for reading, and please review!**


	13. Day 12

**Hey everybody! I just got to updating, and let me tell you, this chapter is a big one. So pay close attention! I hope you'll like it!**

_**Day 12**_

"Oh…. uh, hey Austin."

She hears her own voice, weak and shaky, slipping through her teeth and between her lips before she can even process what she's saying. It's nervous sounding and awkwardly loud. She hopes desperately that Austin doesn't notice.

"Hehe…. um, hey Ally."

He chuckles randomly and releases an awkward smile. His bones are jittering and his stomach is a swirling ball of hot iron. Why does she have to be so pretty? He hates this… he hates this so much.

The two of them stand next to each other, far too close for 'just friends.' Both are overly self-conscious and filled with a nervous sort of anticipation. On their minds is the same, basic message: "What should I do?"

That day, neither of the two had any classes. So basically, the only problem on their mind was each other. And it definitely preoccupied them, all the way from the grassy yard they were currently standing on to the dull, yellow school bus they piled in to with the rest of the campers. That specific day, the camp was going on a field trip to a nearby beach. It was mainly for the marine biology class to collect some samples from the ocean, but since that wouldn't take long they got to spend the rest of the day playing on the sand and swimming in the ocean. Most of the kids were pretty excited about it. Austin would have been, too, if not for the current dilemma plaguing his innocent mind.

Austin and Ally, of course, sat next to each other in the same seat, Amanda and Bryan sitting in the row across from them. Both girls sat near the window, while the boys sat in the aisle seats. Ally feels Austin's forearm pressing against her own, and where he touches her skin tingles slightly with warmth. Trying to distract herself from this nice sensation, she gazes out the window and attempts to daydream. All that pops into her head, however, is the image of her picture-perfect, boyishly cute, bleach-blond crush. She groans. This is going to be a _loooonnnngggg_ bus ride….

Little does she know that as she gazes out the window, the same boy she's thinking about is gazing just as lovingly at her. He looks at her shining, caramel eyes. Her sleek, brown hair. Her soft, pink lips. She's absolutely beautiful. How can a girl possibly be this perfect?

The ride lasts for two hours and by the end both kids are sticky and sweaty, overcome by the powerful summer heat. They gladly pile off the bus with the rest of the kids, running up to the cool shore of the beach with giddiness. The whole sample-collective only took Ally 20 minutes, and so she sat on a towel with Amanda and waited for 10 more for Austin to finish as well. She was known to hate the beach, but with this heat she would make an exception.

Austin and Ally lay next to each other on the sand for the next 15 minutes. Not talking, just relaxing. The heat warms their bodies and burns their faces in the best of ways. The sand creates a cushion for their heads and sticks uncomfortably to their skin. The sound of the waves crashing against the dusty shore sooths their minds and relaxes their muscles. It is all quite enjoyable, and Ally almost feels a little disappointed when Austin asks the innocent question of, "Do you want to go swimming? It's really hot out here."

Despite how much the brunette was enjoying herself, she couldn't help but agree. It WAS quite hot today, and a swim might really help. Almost mechanically, Ally began to pull off her shirt and pants, revealing her bathing suit underneath.

What she was wearing was a bright yellow bikini. Usually, Ally felt incredibly uncomfortable in anything less than a one-piece, but she had forgotten her swimsuit at home and this was the only extra one that Amanda had available. She rubbed her arm uncomfortably, completely self-conscious in the tiny shred of cloth she was wearing.

Austin, too, was extremely uncomfortable, yet for completely different reasons. Ally looked absolutely stunning in that tiny little bikini, it was almost impossible for him not to stare. She was showing more skin than she had ever dared to do before, and his natural boy instincts were excited about that. Just being near her was a vicious internal battle between his respect for Ally's modesty, and his bouncing, boyish hormones. Sometimes he hated being a teenager…

Trying to ignore his obvious attraction for her, Austin too took off his shirt so that he was wearing nothing but swimming trunks. His bare chest had a nice, golden tan. He hoped Ally noticed.

The two of them begin walking towards the ocean. Austin's feet hit the currents and immediately receive a cold shock. The water is absolutely freezing, but he doesn't even care. He just keeps on wading into the water until he is chest deep. Looking back, he notices that Ally is still at the shoreline, sticking her toe hesitantly into the brisk seawater.

"Ally! What are you doing?" he yells to her from where he's swimming, "Get in here!"

Ally's behavior doesn't change. She stays where she is, turning her head only slightly to face him.

"I can't!" she calls back, unsure of her footing on the sandy slope, "It's too cold!"

Austin laughs. "Oh come on, Ally. Don't be a baby," he teases her, "Just get in! The water's fine."

Ally tries again to dip her foot into the water, but immediately shivers and pulls away. "I can't do it," she yells to him, "I think I'm just going to go back and lay on the sand. You have fun, though!"

Austin shakes his head with a mischievous, evil grin stretched across his face. "You're not getting away that easy, Ally Dawson!" he yells to her. While she's still confused and trying to figure out what he's doing, Austin takes his chance. As fast as he can run against the buoyancy of the water, he exits the waves and meets Ally at the shore. Then, as quick as a cheetah, he encases her wrist in his hand and begins to pull.

"Austin, what are y—," Ally begins, but as she realizes what he is actually planning she begins to shriek madly and struggle hopelessly to get away.

"Austin, stop!" she yells within a fit of shrieks and giggles, "It's cold! IT'S SO COLD!"

She continues screaming as Austin drags her deeper and deeper into the ice cold water. As she struggles even more, Austin's forced to pick her up by the waist and carry her bridal style, with her kicking and squirming to get away. Ally feels the water rush onto her body—touching her in cool, icy bursts—and she can't help but try desperately to fight back as the ocean drains her heat away.

Finally, when he's sure that Ally is deep enough, Austin does the most dangerous, stupid move he can possibly think of. He dumps her in.

Letting go of her waist and legs, from which he's supporting her, Austin watches as Ally tumbles into the icy pool and disappears within its murky darkness. He waits a few seconds for her to reappear, standing there and smiling like an idiot while Ally gives him the ultimate death glare. Her hair is wet and stringy, her lips are blue from the cold, and above all, her eyes are red with anger.

"Austin!" she yells at him, "WHAT WAS THAT FOR?"

Austin's smile widens. "I thought you might like to take a dip."

Ally paddles in place, dumbstruck as she notices his innocent tone and nonchalant grin. She eyes him angrily and then replies with a simple, little challenge.

"YOU ARE GOING DOWN, AUSTIN!"

For the next hour or two, the pair of teenagers play around in the water, splashing each other's faces and dunking their opponent underwater. Ally throws wet sand at Austin's chest, and in return he places long strands of seaweed in her hair. In other words, it's the perfect day. The sun beats down on them, but neither notice—even as Ally's cheeks pinken and Austin's chest darkens even more—as they're both too busy enjoying themselves. It's simply wonderful. The perfect day to spend with the perfect person.

By the time the two children have finished their game, they are both tuckered out and laying on the warm sand, gasping for breath. The day had simply sped by. It was almost time to leave! Austin and Ally were just about to spend the rest of their beach time relaxing when something catches the corner of Austin's eye. He stares at it in complete awe for a moment, and then smiles. Perfect. Simply perfect.

"Hey Ally, look!" he calls to the brunette lying next to him. He points.

Ally looks, and for a moment, she is confused. Then she understands.

What Austin's finger is leading to is a pile of beach-owned surfboards. There are about 6 of them, each of a different color and pattern. It's quite a site, really, and Austin just can't help the spark of an idea that approaches his mind at top speed.

"Let's surf together, Als!" he exclaims excitedly. Ally had been expecting this, and she had her answer already prepared.

"Sorry, but you know I can't surf, Austin," she says guiltily, "You go have fun, I'll stay."

Austin shakes his head stubbornly. "No way, Ally. Come on, I'll teach you. It's easy, if you're up to it."

"I don't know…" Ally replied, shying away, "It seems kind of dangerous."

"Nonsense, Ally," he says confidently, "It's perfectly safe, really! Just try it out. It's not a choice. I'll be with you every step of the way."

Before Ally can even begin to respond, she feels Austin's grip take hold of her wrist and tighten, just as he had done before. Oh no, Ally thinks nervously, this can't be good…

In less than ten minutes, both kids are standing shoulder-to-shoulder on the shoreline. Austin's chosen surfboard is a bright, emotional red with a yellow lighting bolt struck on its top and bottom. Ally's is a sunny, happy yellow with dark red polka dots covering its shiny surface. Ally gulps as Austin leads her into the ocean, paddling deeper and deeper into the treacherous sea. The place where sharks live. Why did she ever agree to this? Oh, that's right, she didn't.

Back on the beach, Austin demonstrated to her the proper technique for surfing. Now, he's following his own advice. Ally quickly copies him. Nervously, she and Austin take on a couple of smaller waves. Each time he slaps her on the back and congratulates her, but it makes her feel no better. For some reason, she can't escape the dread in her stomach that something bad is coming. Really bad.

After a good five waves, Austin tells her that she's nailed it. He smiles wide and gives her the not-so-comforting news that he thinks she's ready to go deeper. He begins to paddle even further into the dark waters, and no matter how hard Ally tries to catch up she ends up a good 20 feet behind him. Just great.

She takes up a couple of waves by herself, when something catches her eye. It's impossible not to notice. Something huge. Something dangerous. Something scary. It's a wave.

But no, not just any wave. Practically a monster. It towers above her, coming towards her small and frail body at what seems like a hundred miles per hour, spitting foam and roaring in all its tremendous power. She can practically see its fangs now, sharp and deadly, with dead, black eyes. She knows that it's just her imagination, but she can't help feeling that this mound of water is alive. That it's coming to swallow her hole. She gulps again, hard. She knows what's coming, and she's deathly scared.

Far ahead of her, Austin watches the wave in excitement. He can't help but tingle with anticipation. This thing is huge! It's perfect! All his thoughts of Ally's wellbeing and safety drift away as his mind moves on to face this powerful monster. This is going to be so epic! He just knows it. Happily, he trudges on to go and meet the creature before him.

This monster, though neither of the two is aware, is fate itself. It writhes and twists and rushes on with its own sort of anticipation. It has a mission—a single, small duty at this exact moment—and it is here to deliver it. If you looked very, very closely—with your mind, rather than your eyes—you might very well see a microscopic smile forming at the tips of its invisible lips. It is time. It is time.

Fate reaches Austin first. With quick reflexes and practiced skill, Austin sails over it no problem. A 'WOO HOO' escapes his lips as he rides the demon, a smile greater than the sun plaguing his face. That smile would not last long. Not at all. With almost surprising ease, Austin overcomes the monster and is now riding it's currents happily. He's proud and he can't help but think excitedly about what he's going to tell to Dez when he gets home.

Then there is Ally. That's the monster's real target. The soaking wet, un-skilled little brainiac who's currently floating nervously on her surfboard. If the wave even had a smile to begin with, than it must have widened considerably.

Ally tries—bless her heart—to ride the giant just as her friend Austin had. But of course, this thing was a monster of nature, and no single day of training could ever help a little girl overcome it. Austin turns just in time to see the creature swallow her up, pulling it into its dark atrium.

"ALLY!" he hears his own voice, shouting almost noiselessly against the crash of the waves. It's full of fear and worry, and Austin embraces it. "ALLY!" he calls again, honestly scared for his friend, "Are you all right?"

Austin waits a minute or two, riding the wave and watching the spot where she went under, for her to resurface. She does not.

Meanwhile, Ally's fighting for her life inside that deadly creature, struggling desperately to get out of the monster's forceful grip. She pushes with all her might, trying to get to the surface and gulp some air. But no go. The monster is too strong. It holds her down even more forcefully and she begins to turn and tumble in the water.

Over and over again, Ally is flipped like a tornado in the cool liquid. She begins to feel dizzy and sick. Oxygen. She needs oxygen. Her lungs are screaming for it. The waves pull her closer to shore, but she doesn't notice this. All she notices is the lack of fresh, oxygen-filled air in her lungs and the powerful forces that push her head down and down again in a nauseating, circular pattern.

As she gets closer to shore, the wave shrinks in size but not power, causing the water to get shallower. This time, she's no longer flipping in the water, but rolling like a barrel on the sand. With the ocean as her motor. Over and over again her head hits the sandy shore. A rock scrapes her chin and it stings like crazy, her whole jaw vibrating madly. Now, her body can no longer resist its urge for oxygen. Instinctively, her mouth opens up and she sucks in. Water rushes into her mouth, her throat, and then her lungs. The flood of water is excruciatingly painful, it burns so much that she can't help but gasp, only increasing the amount she let in. Help, she wants to scream, somebody help me!

Just then, her head hits the sandy shore one last time, and the bump added on to the lack of air pushes her into a deep and uncomfortable unconsciousness. She doesn't even notice when her body forcefully lands on the sandy shore, soaking wet and badly bruised. It was a miracle her bikini stayed on…

The first person to be there, of course, was Austin. He had watched all the way from the top of the wave, and had been the first to notice her unconscious body thud softly on the sand. He had run up to her at record time, clutching her limp body in his trembling arms.

His heart is beating like a mallet in his chest. Loud and dark and heavy. His breathing is thin and shallow. Full of worry and a dreadful, shadowing fear. His eyes search her face for any sign of life.

"Ally?" he screams, "ALLY! WAKE UP!"

It would be an extreme understatement to say that he was worried or scared. At this moment, right now, he was absolutely terrified.

"Check her pulse!" another worried voice shouted from behind. He turned to see Amanda, a deadly worry in her eyes. Knowing her smartness, he obliges.

"She has a heartbeat!" he screams after a minute, relief flooding through him before he realizes a terrible fact. "But she's not breathing!"

"Do you know CPR?" Amanda screams, "Give her mouth to mouth! You have to!"

Austin nods. He learned it last year in health. Thank god Ally had insisted so hard on him paying attention. Just like she had said to him, it really did turn out to be important. Austin figures he can just skip the chest compressions and goes straight to the rescue breaths. In a heartbeat, he lays his lips on hers.

Her lips are wonderfully soft and beautifully moist, but he pulls his attention away from that. He has to focus on saving her, no matter how much his mouth tingles at her gentle touch. This is important! He gives her a first breath, holding her nose as he blows air into her mouth. He watches with satisfaction as her chest slightly rises, and lets go so that it can fall. He does another breath. Same results.

It's the third breath that does the trick. The third times the charm. As soon as he takes his mouth off hers he hears a strange gurgling coming from her throat. Amanda comes over and turns Ally over to her side just in time for her to vomit out a gallon of saltwater. She stops for a second, spits out some more, and then she's done. Still unconscious, but breathing. Thank god she's breathing.

Just then, two burly lifeguards come rushing up to them. About time, Austin thinks. "You guys are late!" Amanda yells at them angrily, "If it weren't for Austin, Ally probably would have gone in a coma by now!"

They pick up the now-breathing Ally from the ground and carry her off to the infirmary nearby, Austin and Amanda running to catch up. As an hour passes, Ally is laid down on a small, white cot. She is still there when she regains consciousness, and of course, the first thing she sees is her beloved protector. The infamous Austin Moon.

"Ally," he whispers as he sees her begin to stir. Her eyes peak open.

"Austin?" she moans, "What happened? Where am I?"

"You're fine, Ally," he begins, "You just had a little accident on the beach. But its okay now, I promise." He's so relieved he feels tears pricking at his eyes. Amanda stands behind him, equally emotional. After the blurriness passes and the dizziness dims, a flood of horrible memories finally find their way back into Ally's head.

"Oh my god," she whispered to her best friend, "I almost died. I almost died!"

She wants to cry. She can't believe what just happened. It's so unreal, almost like a nightmare. She shivers in her bed, even though she's no longer cold and wet. Austin see's her shaking and puts her arms around her, pulling her into a gentle hug. It feels good and warm to both of them, enough so that Ally doesn't even bother to tell Austin that him lifting her up is making her head spin like crazy. Finally, Austin pulls away and faces Ally, looking deep into her mystifying eyes.

"I'm so glad you're okay," he whispers to her, stroking her hair, "I don't know what I would do without you, Ally. I can't even imagine losing you."

At this, Amanda chimes up. "You have a small concussion, Ally" she explains, "And the doctors say that you may feel really dizzy and sick for the next few hours. But you'll be fine. If it weren't for Austin though, you may have gone into a coma. He gave you mouth-to-mouth."

Austin blushed humbly. "Amanda helped save you, too," he added, but his voice trails off when he sees the look of absolute gratitude on Ally's face.

"Thank you so much," she whispers to him softly, "You saved my life."

Austin shakes his head. "I need you, Ally. If you died I would have nothing. I actually saved my own life, because you're my life."

At this, Ally laughs, even though it makes her feel dizzy. "That's the cheesiest, sweetest thing I have ever heard in my entire life. EVER."

Austin chuckles, a blush forming his cheeks. Ally looks at him—a feeling of deep, unmoving love growing inside her—when she has a crazy idea. It's totally insane, but since she just hit her head and her judgment is poorer than usual, she still goes for it.

"You know, Austin," she begins quietly, "I think I'm still having some trouble breathing. You mind giving me another rescue breath?"

For a second, Austin doesn't understand. But then his mind processes her words and his eyes widen in shock and surprise and, yes, happiness.

"Um…" he begins, "Are you…uh… sure?"

Ally nods, her cheeks a deep pink. Austin can't help it. She's far too beautiful for him to resist. Very slowly, he leans in. So does she. Inch after inch, the space between them deteriorates until the only thing in their way is Ally's whispered last breath of "Thank you." Then, their lips finally meet.

It's warm and soft and absolutely, wonderfully beautiful. A kiss worthy to go down in history. There's not a lot of passion, Ally is in too much of a weak state for that, and so the kiss is left short and sweet. Still, it is perfect. It all just feels so… right. Like their lips are made for each other or something. After 8 seconds, Austin pulls away and smiles.

"Is that good?" he asks cutely.

Ally looks at him, straight into those pools of chocolate that he calls eyes, and responds.

"Yeah, that's good. For now."

**Well, what did you think? Good? Bad? Review and tell me! And again, I'm getting close to running out of ideas so if you have any suggestions DO NOT BE AFRAID TO SHARE THEM! I am open to anything :D. Thank you and please review!**


	14. Day 13

**Hey everybody! Are you ready for an update (waits for cheers and applause)! Well, here it is!**

_**Day 13**_

Ally. Drowning. Austin. CPR. Infirmary. Thanks. Kiss.

The words. Swirling around and around in her brain. Creating the most beautiful piece of artwork she could ever imagine seeing. The tastiest stew her taste buds could ever possibly enjoy. The most wonderful of concoctions her nose could ever sniff out. Perfection at it's most beautiful. She loved it all.

Amanda woke up that morning with an absolute perfect smile stretched across her face, the memories of the day before still running through her head. Things had gone even better than expected last night, and she couldn't have been happier for her friend.

Pushing herself up from her bed, Amanda looks up at the empty one beside her. "Oh, that's right," she thinks out loud, "She's still in the infirmary." Quickly, Amanda gets changed, not bothering to shower because of the huge rush she's in. She brushes her messy, tangled bedhead and ties it up in a knot at the back of her head. Grabbing her backpack, she's out the door in ten minutes flat.

On her way to go visit Ally, who was moved to the camp's infirmary last night, Amanda stops. Austin might want to go too, she figures, and she still hadn't told Bryan what happened yet. She never got the chance. He would be ecstatic, Amanda imagines. For some reason, she likes to see him happy. And so, she changes direction mid-stride, heading towards the boys' dorm.

She knocks three times before she hears movement on the other side. The door swings open with a loud squeak, and a confused-looking boy meets her eye on the other side. "Amanda?" he asks. It's Bryan.

"Hi, Bryan," she replies, pushing her slipping red glasses back to her face as she does so, "Can I come in?'

He nods and moves out of the way so she can enter. "So, what are you doing here so early?" he asks, "I mean, I'm awake and all, but breakfast doesn't start until like 45 minutes."

"I'll explain in a second," she says quickly, looking around, "But where's Austin? I want to know if he wants to go visit Ally with me."

Bryan chuckles. "He actually went to go visit her, like, 30 minutes ago. Figures. He's so in love with her, imagine how it must be for him to see her in the infirmary."

Amanda laughs slightly and nods. "Well, its good that he's gone, I guess. I need to talk to you, too. I have something to tell you. Well actually a LOT of things to tell you…"

"Are you going to explain to me what happened yesterday?" Bryan asked excitedly, "Because I honestly have no idea. I was just hanging out on the sand and before I knew it Ally's being hauled away by some lifeguards and you guys are chasing after her like crazy. I heard a whole bunch of wild rumors about what happened. People told me she got attacked by a shark, or stung by a poisoness jellyfish, or had a heat stroke. I don't know what to believe anymore. And the craziest thing is, when Austin came back last night he had the biggest smile on his face I've ever seen. Why would he be happy to see Ally get hurt? He was so tired he didn't explain. I'm so confused…"

Amanda laughed again, this time louder. "Let me set the record straight," she said, and she soon began to explain. Everything. He watched her intently, nodding his head and providing small little comments now and then. Amanda liked this. No one ever really listened to her like this before. It felt good.

"Wow," Bryan said once she had finished, a huge toothy smile on his face, "That's... crazy! All that happened in just one day? Woah, I can't believe I missed it all."

"They kissed, can you believe it?" Amanda asked excitedly, loving the way it sounds in her mouth, "Do you think they're talking about it now?" Amanda was never one for romance novel. In fact, she hated them! But something about this little love story just made her want to smile...

"Knowing Austin," Bryan replied, "Probably not." His words were kind of a downer, but he was smiling openly. He was just as excited as she was, and she knew it.

She gave him a mischievous grin. "Want to do more meddling?" she asked dangerously. She winked at him cutely.

He returned the smirk and wink with ease. "You know it."

* * *

"Look at them, in there," Bryan whispered to the black-haired girl by his side, peeking his head through the window on the infirmary's door and trying to eavesdrop, "They're just talking and laughing as if nothing at all happened yesterday. Pathetic, it really is. Denial is such a problem."

Amanda nodded. "Not for long. Come on, let's get in there. I'll take Ally, you take Austin. It's confrontation time."

"Good thing it's a Saturday," Bryan pointed out, "This might take a while…"

They both nodded at each other before walking in, side-by-side. It was already past lunchtime, and both of the teenagers inside were snaking on some nurse-supplied turkey sandwiches. "Hey Austin, hey Ally," Amanda said with a smile. They all greeted each other, saying a couple of friendly words, before Bryan suddenly blurted out, "Austin, can we talk for a second? Outside?"

Confused, Austin nodded and walked out. This is it, Bryan thought, it's time.

"What's up?" Austin asked once they had both successfully left the room, closing the door behind them, "What do you need to talk to me about?"

"Ally," Bryan replied immediately, "I know what's going on between you guys. Amanda told me everything."

Bryan watched as Austin stiffened. His eyes went wide and flooded with fear. "The kiss?" he asked nervously, fidgeting slightly. Bryan nodded, a smirk on his lips. "Did you really need to ask?"

"Look, Bryan," Austin began, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly, "You don't need to talk to me about all this. I can handle this myself. I'm not a little kid, I know how to deal with girls."

Bryan chuckled. "Apparently you don't," he said, "Because it seems you guys haven't even BEGAN to talk about that kiss yesterday. What's the matter, dude?"

He sighed silently, looking at his feet in quiet disgruntlement. "I just… don't know. She was really woozy yesterday. What if kissing me was just a mistake and she totally regrets it. Or worse, she doesn't even remember it at all! She may not like me back…"

Bryan rolled his eyes. "Oh come on, dude. How can you even say that? There's no doubt about it. She TOTALLY likes you back. You're just scared, that's it. Why don't you just admit it?"

Austin sighed again, this time louder and stronger. "I'm just no good at this kinda stuff. I went in there this morning all prepared to tell her how I feel and use some smooth pick up lines on her, but as soon as I saw her face I just…. couldn't. I don't know why. I'm usually so smooth around girls I like. It's weird."

"It's because you like her so much," Bryan explained, "She's not like any of those other girls, is she. She means something to you. And that's why you're scared. Because you don't want to mess anything up. You don't want to risk it."

Austin stayed silent for a moment, and then he nodded solemnly.

"I knew it!" Bryan said with a laugh, "Now that we established that, I have some advice for you, bro."

"What is it?" Austin asked, desperation in his voice.

"Stop being such a little wimp!" he yelled, taking Austin by complete surprise, "Tell her how you feel! Do it now or lose your chance. I guarantee she likes you back, so what are you waiting for? Come on already!"

* * *

Meanwhile, Ally and Amanda are inside the infirmary, just a doorway away. Ally lays in her white, cotton bed while Amanda stands closely by her side.

"The nurse said that after tomorrow, if I'm feeling better, I can go back to our dorm! I'll be back to camp by Monday!" she told Amanda excitedly, "Isn't that awesome? It's almost like the whole big thing yesterday never even happened."

Amanda laughed lightly, but kept her serious gaze. "I know it is," Amanda replied softly, "And that's what worries me."

"What do you mean?" Ally asked with confusion, staring at her friend's seriousness with a fascinated curiosity.

"I know you and Austin kissed, Ally. You saw me there. Why is it that you two aren't talking about it?"

Ally's breath immediately hitched in her throat. Her face froze.

"Come on, Ally. Don't keep me hanging!"

"OK, fine." Ally began, "I'll tell you. It's just that…. I'm embarrassed. Are you happy now? I'm really, really embarrassed."

Amanda's eyes widen. She was not expecting this, not in the slightest.

"But why?" she asked, "There's nothing for you to be embarrassed about!"

"What do you mean?" she asked, "I literally ASKED Austin for a kiss! Who does that? The only reason he actually kissed me was because he was surprised, I bet, not because he actually liked me. The fact that he hasn't addressed it proves it. He just wants to pretend like it never happened. It's so embarrassing, I wish it didn't happen."

"So you didn't like the kiss?" Amanda asked, surprised.

"Of course not! It was my first kiss ever, I loved it! The best near-death experience of my life. It's not me who didn't like it, it's Austin."

Amanda shakes her head and laughs. Ally looks a little hurt, but she quickly explains herself.

"You have it all wrong, Ally," she says, "Austin REALLY likes you! I know it for sure! He must have been waiting for that kiss for, like, ever! Trust me on this, Ally. I know what I'm talking about."

Ally shook her head. "Don't lie to me, Amanda. He doesn't like me back and I just need to accept that."

"Look, Ally," Amanda began. She sighed, it was now or never. "I know it's scary to put your feelings out there, but you have to be brave! If you don't, you'll never know. And trust me, that's far worse than being rejected. It lasts forever. Seriously, Ally. You can do it. I believe in you. You just need to believe in yourself a little bit, too. You like him and he likes you. What do you have to lose?"

Ally smiled wide as Amanda finished her mini-speech, looking as confident as ever. "I'll do it!" she yelled, a look of power and confidence in her eyes. "I'll tell him! Tomorrow for sure!"

For the rest of the day, all four of the kids stay together in the infirmary. They talk and they laugh and just hang out together, enjoying themselves immensely. But, on the back of their minds is one thing and one thing only: What's going to happen tomorrow?

And so, that night, both Austin and Ally sat awake, imagining what they would say to each other the very next day. In their heads they created the imaginary conversation and revised it until they felt it was perfect. But still, they were never completely sure. "Do I really need to do this?" they asked themselves in the darkness. But no, they couldn't think like that. They needed to admit their feelings, no more silly excuses. It's now or never, they thought to themselves over and over again. Now or never.

TO BE CONTINUED...

**So what did you think? I was going to have Austin and Ally admit their feelings to each other all in this chapter, but i decided to split it into two parts just to mess with you all XD. Besides, who doesn't love a good cliffhanger? LOL, don't worry, I know this chapter didn't really have a lot of auslly in it, mostly just Brymanda (LoveBugsPlusHugs made that name XD), but trust me the next one will be chalk full of it. I promise :). Well, PLEASE review. And please don't hate me! **

**By the way, please read the story "Supah Wicked" by EmmaLOUIS! **


	15. Day 14

**Hey guys! I know I updated this chapter WAY early, but I just couldn't help myself. I wrote this on Saturday and I was just DYING for you all to read it XD. I guess you deserve it, considering all the amazing reviews i've been getting lately. And besides, I felt a little guilty for the cliff hanger i gave you last chapter. And so, here it is! The chapter you've all been waiting for! What are you doing still reading this? START READING THE CHAPTER!**

**As you may already know, I do NOT own Austin and Ally. Why do I always forget to add this?**

_**Day 14**_

"Ally, I have something to tell you," Austin spoke in a falsely deep voice, looking straight ahead with eyes wide and unseeing, "I really, really like you. When we kissed that day, it felt like magic. I know we've been just friends for a really long time, but I think it's time for us to step it up a little. Will you go on a date with me?"

At this, Austin looked at who he was talking to. The mirror looked back at him, reflecting his image of nervous eyes and tan skin. Austin smiled.

"Great job," he said to himself out loud, "You've told the mirror how you feel, now it's time to tell Ally…"

Austin, currently, was standing in front of a dirty bathroom mirror, looking at his reflection as if he were critiquing a prized piece of artwork. Wearing his best outfit, Austin practiced his shiny, movie star smile. Quickly, he moved his hands up to his head, pushing a loose strand of bleach blond hair back in place. He had to make sure he looked PERFECT for today. That was important.

Meanwhile, in the same frame of mind, Ally lay in her own infirmary bed, her head propped up by a fluffy, white pillow. Her brown eyes scanned the door nervously, nearly every ten seconds. Always watching. Always unsure.

Austin. His heart felt like a burning humming bird, pattering nervously in his chest at 120 beats per minute.

Ally. Her breath was hitched and shallow, endlessly inflating and deflating her lungs in a sharp, panting pattern.

Austin. His eye twitched slightly in fear of the life-changing event to come.

Ally. Her mouth opened and closed on her soft, brown hair as she chewed nervously.

It was pretty fair to say that both Austin and Ally were very, very worried that day. They were fairly sure that the other liked them, but inside their jumbled mind was always that fertile seed of doubt, growing fast on a self-conscious brain. Come on, they said to themselves over and over again, just tell him/her. Just do it!

"I'm going now." Austin heard his voice say, ringing out in the small, square room. The boy across from him looked up from his computer screen and gave a toothy grin. "Good luck," replied Bryan, "Go get yourself a girlfriend." Austin smiled, though he didn't feel happy or calm in the slightest.

In less than 10 minutes, Austin stood outside the infirmary door. His knuckles were about an inch away from the cool wood. They were frozen in place, stiff as a board. He had to urge himself to knock, keeping himself from freezing up as he knew was inevitable. "Ally," he said politely as he opened the door just a creek to peer his head in, "Mind if I come in?"

"Of course not," she said with a bright smile. YES I MIND, she wanted to shout, I'm not ready yet! Go away!

Austin approached and, very slowly, sat at the edge of her bed, turning to face her.

"You look r-really n-nice," he stuttered to her, internally face-palming himself for his awkwardness.

"Um… thanks Austin," she said, a powerful blush spreading across her cheeks, "So do you."

Okay, it's now or never, Austin thinks to himself, just tell her. Waiting won't help anything. Just. Do. It.

He took a deep breath. "Ally, I have something I need to tell you."

She looks up at him. "Really?" she asks. He can hear the hopefulness in her voice, "What is it?"

Right now, though Austin's head is full of worry and anxiousness, Ally's is full of relief and hope. "Is he going to tell me he likes me?" she thinks, excitement pounding in her head. This was great! If he told her, she wouldn't have to be the one who told him! She couldn't help it; she just REALLY didn't want to be the one to say it.

Austin opens his mouth, but no sound comes out. "Come on, Austin," Ally eggs him on, "You don't have to worry. You know you can tell me anything."

He tries again, and this time sounds come out. "Ally, I… need you to help me with my marine biology homework. I still haven't finished organizing my samples."

"…Oh," Ally says, her smile faulting, "Is that all?"

He can't do it. He simply can't do it. He thought about this conversation all night long yesterday, over and over again running it through his head, and yet some things are easier said than done. This is one of those things. Her beautiful, brown eyes staring into his with a hopeful twinkle. Her shining, perfect teeth flashing at him through her soft, pink lips. Her flawless, pale skin glowing perfectly in the gentle light. Who could think in this type of situation? Certainly not Austin. He gives up, he simply gives up. He cannot do it. NO. FREAKING. WAY.

"Nope, that's it," he lies, "That's all."

In that single, horrifying moment, Ally's heart shatters into a million pieces. Her cheery expression falters for just a split second. So fast that Austin wonders if he imagined it. Inside her head, Ally can't believe it. It's proof, she thinks, that he doesn't like her back. Figures. She can't believe she almost thought he would. Of course he didn't! He's THE Austin Moon. He wants a tall, blond bimbo with a make-up covered, pretty face and a zero IQ. Not the short, geeky brunette named Ally Dawson who couldn't be cool to save her life. What was she thinking? At that moment, all thoughts of telling Austin how she felt were thrown aside. What was the point? He didn't like her back. All it would do would be making it awkward between them.

"Oh, ok," she said, trying to hide her obvious disappointment and heartbreak, "I'll help you as soon as I get out of here, if you like."

"Thanks, Als," he said. His voice was so calm and sweet that Ally could never have guessed that a million crazy thoughts were running through his head at once.

I can still do this, was his most powerful one, I can do it without even having to be the one to bring it up. I'll keep hinting to her that I like her and eventually she'll HAVE to be the one to ask! It's genius!

Unfortunately, Austin's plan was not as foolproof as he may have thought.

For a moment, he closes his eyes. He remembers reading something online a couple of years ago; he needs to pull back the memory now. He was only just 13 and had his first real crush on this pretty girl named Samantha. Living in the 21st century, he of course used the Internet to figure out the age-old question of 'how to flirt with a girl you like.' The website he found gave him ten simple steps. What were they again? He concentrates and allows the memories to come flooding back to him.

1. Gently stare at her. When she catches you looking, smile or wink and look her straight in the eyes.

2. Compliment her. Casually call her 'pretty' or 'beautiful' in conversation.

3. Ask her questions about herself. Girls love to talk.

4. Listen to her problems and give advice.

5. Poke her in the side (gently)

6. Playfully steal something from her (like her backpack, or pen)

7. Make excuses to touch her hand

8. Play with her hair.

9. Make cheesy jokes and laugh at hers, even if they're lame.

10. Tease her to no end and call her cute, little nicknames.

Austin wasn't sure if those were all the best ideas, but he figured he'd have to just try it anyway. What did he have to lose? If it works, Ally will realize that he likes her without Austin even needing to tell her. If it doesn't, he's in the same place he started with. He takes a deep breath. This is going to be the hardest experiment of his life.

First step: stare. He had this one down. Keeping his eyes aimed straight at her, and his expression calm and casual, Austin looked at Ally's face. He watched the way her lips parted as she said something to him, the way her pink cheeks vibrated with every word. As much as he hated to admit it, he'd done this a million times before.

Suddenly, Ally stops talking. She looks up, right at him. Her eyes widen in surprise and confusion. She see's him! Smoothly, Austin looks right back at her. He smiles warmly and hands out a flirty wink, before staring straight into her twinkling eyes. Keep your head, he tells himself, don't get lost in those eyes. You still have work to do.

After a looonnnnggg eight seconds, Ally just can't take it anymore. She rips her gaze from his and looks down, blushing fiercely. Time for step two.

"You look really cute when you blush, did you know that?" he tells her, still smiling. She giggles nervously, and shakes her head.

Step three is harder. He already knows so much about her, what else is there to ask? Quickly, he blurts out the first thing that pops into his mind.

"So, Ally," he begins, "Random question. You and Amanda seem pretty close. Are you guys pretty much best friends now?"

Ally nods happily, and the tension between them seems to melt away. "Definitely!" she says, "She's really nice and she always looks out for me. We talk all the time now! I bet Trish would really like her, don't you think? She's so great!"

Ally brings up step four before Austin even needs to try. "I think she and Bryan would make a good couple, what do you think?"

"They would," Austin agrees.

"They get along really well and they're both really… unique. I can totally see them going out! But I think Amanda may be a little bit too introverted to actually approach him first."

"You should talk to her!" Austin says, giving her the advice that's required, "Tell her to go for it!"

Ally smiles and for a moment there is a comfortable silence between them. That moment is short. It gets pushed away by step five. Playfully, Austin pokes Ally in the side, between her ribs. She giggles madly. "What was that for?"

Austin shrugs cutely. "I wanted to know if you were ticklish."

"Well, you know now!" Ally says between her shrieks and giggles, "Now stop it!"

Austin doesn't. He pokes her again and again in the ribs until she's laughing like a maniac, only stopping when the nurse comes from her office and threatens to kick him out if he doesn't stop tormenting her patients. He nods and smiles. It's time for step six, anyway.

Austin looks around for something small that he could take, eyeing Ally's bedside table. In a flash, he spots something and a mischievous grin spreads across his face. This will be good…

"Is that your song-writing book?" he asks her, gesturing to the brown, leather-bound book that lay restfully by her side. She nods. "I brought it here just in case any good song writing ideas popped into my head." Before Ally can even begin to react, Austin reaches out a hand and snatches it up.

Ally gasps. "DON'T TOUCH MY BOOK!" she yells at him, trying to snatch it back. It's no use, he only holds it higher.

"What book?" he asks with false innocence, "I don't see any book here."

"Shut up! You know what I'm talking about!" she giggles, pushing herself up higher and trying to reach for it.

"Oh, you mean THIS book," he says as though the idea is absurd, "Did you not want me to touch it? I had no idea! Hmmm… maybe you should have been more clear."

Ally laughs out loud and gives him a nice hard shove. He still holds. "If you want it back, you're going to have to take it from me!" he yells to her. This should take care of step seven.

Austin lowers his hand only slightly, and Ally bounds up and grabs it. He doesn't let go, and she continues to pull. Their hands are touching now, ever gently. Austin can't help but marvel at how warm and soft hers are. Eventually, Ally has to pry Austin's fingers from the brown, leather cover one by one. He doesn't mind. More hand contact just means more flirting, and he likes it.

Step 8, now. Austin admits, he's excited about this one. He's always wanted to touch her hair.

"So, Ally," she begins, after she's finished reprimanding him, "When did you brush your hair? It doesn't feel like it was recently attacked by a gigantic wave." He takes his fingers and wraps them in her brown locks, cutely twisting and untwisting them. He admires how soft and silky it is, as he strokes it with his other hand.

"I just brushed it this morning," she answers, pushing his hands away with a giggle, "Do you really HAVE to touch everything today?"

"Yes," Austin answers, as he once again tickles her lightly in the stomach. Next up, step 9. This should be easy. Ally LOVES corny jokes.

"I have joke for you!" Austin says suddenly. Real smooth, he thinks to himself as Ally looks at him strangely, eyebrows raised. "Ok," she says, confused, "What is it?"

"What did the grape do when it got stepped on?"

"What?"

"It let out a little wine!"

Austin pauses as Ally laughs hysterically. It's adorable, really, and he can't help but smile at her reaction. Thank god she has such a strange sense of humor…

"I have one, too!" she says cheerily, "Why did the gum cross the road!"

"Why?"

"It was stuck to the chicken's foot! Get it? BECAUSE THE CHICKEN ALWAYS CROSSES THE ROAD!" Austin, in actuality, did not find it funny in the slightest. But he laughed with her anyway and gave her a nice high-five, intent on making her aware of his secret infatuation.

One more step. Step 10. Teasing. He can do this.

"How's that taste?" he asks her cutely when Ally begins to chew her hair, "Mind if I give it a try?" She laughs and shoves him playfully. Perfect, he thinks.

"Oh, I'm sorry Als," he says with an obviously fake look of bewilderment on his face, "Was that supposed to hurt?" She rolls her eyes, but he knows she's amused.

That's it. All ten steps. Done and over with. Now what? He waits nervously, hoping for some sort of miracle to tell him what to do. He's just used all ten steps of flirting—flawlessly, if he might add—and she's not giving him any signs back. Does she realize he likes her? She has to! It's so obvious! Suddenly, his thoughts are cut short when Ally begins talking.

"You're being so annoying, lately," she says with a teasing grin, "If this is how you're always going to be, I'm not sure I really want to go on a date with you anymo—"

She stops mid-sentence, a look of absolute horror plaguing her face. WHAT DID SHE JUST DO?! Did she just admit to Austin that she wanted to DATE him? Oh. My. God. How could she do that! She blushes fiercely and averts her eyes, hoping beyond hope that he wasn't listening.

Unfortunately for her, he heard every single word that she just said. His heart is beating a thousand times a minute, doing an exuberant little happy-dance to express its joy. Did she really just say that? Does she REALLY want to date him! This is amazing! He can't believe it. The smile on is face is as wide as the sun. He opens his mouth to say something, to say everything, when an absolutely brilliant idea pops into his little brain. It's perfect, and he knows it.

"Hey Ally," he says, "I'll be right back. I have to go get something, is that alright?"

Ally looks up at him, a look of complete hurt clearly evident in her caramel eyes. "Ok," she says softly, "I'll wait." He feels a bit guilty, but he pushes that aside. She won't be feeling this hurt for long, he knows it.

When Austin rushes out, slamming the door behind him, Ally lies in bed and tries not to cry. What did she just do? She—curse her obsessive need to talk—admitted to Austin that she wanted to date him and drove him away. He couldn't have made it clearer that he didn't feel the same way. Stupid, stupid, stupid.

She stays in bed, overwhelmed by self-pity, for the next 15 minutes before Austin comes back in, a hugely excited grin stretched across his face from ear to ear. His hands are behind is back.

"Ally," he says cheerily, "I have something to give you!"

"What is it?" she asks, surprised. He moves his hands in an instant, revealing to her a folded piece of paper.

"It's a get-well-card!" he shouts excitedly, pushing it into her hands, "I made it for you!"

"Thanks Austin," she says shyly as she takes it from him, "This is so sweet."

The cover of it is colored yellow in colored pencil, the words "Get well soon!" written in a red crayon above a crudely drawn smiley face. She smiles, but feels no joy. This is cute and all, but it doesn't even slightly dull the huge ache of heartbreak pounding in her chest right now. He doesn't like her, he never did. "Open it!" Austin yells suddenly, pulling her out of her depressed thoughts. Ally rolls her eyes, but does so. What she sees inside makes her heart stop.

**_Dear Ally,_**

**_I've been having trouble admitting this to you_**

**_but I really, really like you. A lot. It would mean_**

**_a ton if you felt the same way. The kiss two nights_**

**_ago was amazing, and I really hope you liked it too._**

**_I know we're just friends right now, but I want to ask:_**

**_Will you go on a date with me?_**

**_-Austin. _**

Ally gasps. Her cheeks turn a bright, fiery pink and Austin chuckles slightly at her bewildered expression.

"Austin," she whispers to him as she looks up, her voice as soft as the wind, "Is this true?"

He nods. "Well, it's not a joke."

For a moment, Ally is completely still. Then, without warning, she opens her mouth and a single phrase pops out.

"Do you have a pencil I could borrow?" Austin is dumbfounded. It was not what he expected at all, but he obliges. He pulls out a dull, yellow pencil and hands it to her, eyebrows raised.

Very quickly and thoughtfully, Ally uses it to scrawl something on the paper. Then she hands it back. Austin reads what she wrote, a huge smile forming on his perfect face.

**_How could I possibly say no after all this? Of course, the answer is yes._**

Yes. In Austin's opinion, that's the most beautiful word he's ever heard in his entire life. Yes.

**So, did you like it? Please review and tell me what you think! This is one of my longer chapters, and I worked pretty hard on it, so i really hope you guys all thought it was good, considering how important it was! It definitely wasn't my BEST chapter, but I tried. I'm a little bit nervous that you guys won't like this one...**

**Btw, after this fic is over (in 7 more chapters), I've been thinking about writing a collection of auslly one-shots. I love writing one-shots, and I figured that by making a collection of them in one fic i could get a lot more people to read them. My question for you is: Would you all read it if I did decide to write it? Please review and tell me!**

***And remember to read the fanfiction "Supah Wicked" by EmmaLOUIS! :D**


	16. Day 15

**Hey guys! I know, technically, my last update was supposed to be the one for this weekend, but I decided to write this chapter anyway. I'll be able to update next week, but after that I'm leaving for two weeks for vacation so I'm trying to fit in as many updates as I can. Well, enough of my talking, enjoy!**

**Oh wait, one more thing. It's not really important, I just wanted to tell you guys that I almost named this fic "14 Days in Prison," and had it only be 14 chapters in length. Im glad i didn't though, considering the fact that I would of had to end it right after Austin and Ally realized their feelings for each other and you would have all hated me... LOL. Okay, well NOW you can start reading.**

_**Day 15**_

Well, here it was. As plain as the eye could see. Completely and utterly un-ignorable. Today was officially the first day of the last week of camp. The beginning of the end. Though he hated to admit this, it would all be over soon. Before he knew it, Austin would be in the car driving home with his parents, hearing the questions "Was it fun? What did you learn? Did you wear sunblock?" over and over again in the confined space of the grey little minivan. He knew now that when that day came, he would not be looking forward to it. Somehow, in all this boring mess of school and grades, he had had a good time. A great time, actually. Because of Ally. This little prison cell of a camp had brought him and the girl of his dreams together, and for that he was eternally grateful.

But no, it was only a date. They wouldn't really qualify as 'together' yet. Just a little, simple date. A test to see whether the two of them would work out. It was nothing more than that. He shouldn't get his hopes up. Not yet, anyway. But he just can't help it. He's going on a DATE with Ally Dawson! How could he not be excited?

Currently, Austin was in the middle of his Psychology class, sitting behind the one and only Ally Dawson. Boredom seeped into his mind and body like oil off a ship, poisoning his brain functions and silently encouraging his weary eyes to close. The only way he even kept himself awake was by watching the way Ally's head bobbed up and down as she glanced from the teacher, to her paper, over and over and over again. It was cute-it really was-but apparently not good enough. He sighed. What a boring class this was. The day couldn't possibly be going any slower.

Ahead of him, Ally was scribbling away on some notebook. She usually always paid attention in class, but today something was tugging for her attention at the back of her mind. It, of course, was the excitement and anticipation about her date to come. So many questions ran through her mind, and despite how hard she tried to push them back to concentrate, they just kept reappearing. Where would he take her? What would they do? How would it go? Her odd mix of joy and nervousness was just too much for one person to take!

The two of them sat through the first 15 minutes of this torturous class, watching and waiting for some kind of miracle to save them. When that didn't happen, Austin broke down. He just couldn't take the sound of this boring, old teacher talking in that quiet, lulling voice anymore. He was overrun with boredom. He needed to talk to Ally, and he needed it now.

"Psh, Ally," he whispered, tapping her gently on the shoulder with the tip of his pencil. When she turned her neck to see him, he thrust a folded note in her face. She rolled her eyes, but did not turn it down. As inconspicuously as she could muster, Ally grabbed the piece of paper from his fingers and began to read it.

_Hey Ally! I'm really excited for out date later! __-Austin_

Ally turned the note over and scribbled something down on the other side.

_Austin! No passing notes during class! __-Ally_

She heard him chuckle lightly as he unfolded it, and the sound of paper shuffling as he grabbed another piece.

_Oh come on, Ally. We only have a week left. What are they going to do? I just wanna talk, that's all. __-Austin._

Ally couldn't help herself. Curiosity got the best of her as her goody-goody attitude went down the drain.

_Fine, but only because I'm curious. What are we doing for our date tonight? __-Ally_

She waited in anticipation as she heard his pen scribble against paper. Her heart raced and her mind was bombarded with hundred of ideas.

_You'll see ;). If a tell you now, it wouldn't be a surprise. __-Austin_

Ally was not satisfied with that reply. She kept at it.

_Oh come on. PLLLEEAAASSSSEEE! __-Ally_

With no large, brown eyes to plead with, Ally had no shot. She sighed, disappointed, as she read his next note.

_Don't worry. You won't be disappointed. __-Austin._

Ally huffed. If Austin wanted her to wait, she'd just have to wait, wouldn't she.

* * *

In almost slow motion, the day went by. Both kids waited and waited and waited for what seemed like forever. It was almost torturous how the clock seemed to freeze whenever they wanted it so badly to speed up. Far too long later, Ally stood in dorm room, waiting for Austin to come by and pick her up.

"Where do you think he's taking me?" she asked Amanda, excitement brimming in her voice. Her eyes nearly sparkled with all her joy.

"Wherever it is, I'm sure you'll have a great time."

Amanda, trying hard to be a good friend, had spent the last hour helping Ally get ready. She made sure to apply a light layer of natural makeup to Ally's face, not forgetting to lighly curl her hair. Honestly, Ally had had to teach her most of everything beforehand, considering the fact that Amanda never even wore makeup or did anything other than brush her long, straight hair. But she picked it up quickly, and Ally was quite grateful for her help.

She didn't pack a dress to camp, of course, so her usual date wear was out of the question. Instead, Ally dressed in a pretty, pink blouse and a flowery skirt, complete with a shiny pair of white, slip-on shoes. She looked cute, but not over-dressed, which was just what she was going for. She had thanked Amanda greatly for her help, promising to do the same for her one day.

Austin, too, had put a great deal of thought into his appearance that night. His bleach-blond hair, which he spent a lot of time with anyway, was perfectly messy in all the right ways. He wore a nice, red shirt and black pants, accessorizing with a stylish black jacket to match with his fancy sneakers. It all screamed casual, yet it was still very nice. It took him nearly an hour and a half to decide on it, but he was content with his decision.

He stood, currently, right outside Ally's door. It was a minute before the scheduled pick-up time, and so he waited. He just stood there, breathing heavily to calm his riled nerve. He wanted to be exactly on time, to show Ally just how punctual he could be. Tonight was the night. His one big shot to impress Ally and show her that he was, what most would call, "boyfriend material." He had to make this night perfect. And he would, too, if it was the last thing he ever did.

He watched anxiously as his clock struck 7:00. It was time. He took his last, deep breath and stepped forward. Almost mechanically, he lifted his knuckles to the wooden doorframe and began to knock. The door swung open immediately.

"Hey Austin!" the girl on the other side said as she saw his face. It was Ally, of course, and in Austin's opinion she looked absolutely adorable. But of course, she always did.

"Hey Als," he said casually, trying to hide his nervousness, "Ready for our date?"

She nodded and smiled—a smile that blinded Austin with all its beauty, nearly every time he saw it—and stepped gracefully out of her room, closing the door behind her.

"Good luck, you guys!" he heard Amanda call out before the door swung shut, "Have a good time!"

He knew he thought for the both of them when his mind marveled at the fact that her words were greatly appreciated.

The two children began to walk down the hallway now, shoulder to shoulder. Ally followed Austin like a lost puppy, still quite unsure where they were going to go. She watched in confusion as Austin led her out back, behind the camp building.

"Will you tell me where we're going NOW?" she asked hopefully, allowing some exasperation to show in her voice.

He shook his head slowly, giving her a wicked grin. Ally shoved him playfully and he laughed, but still no words escaped his lips.

Finally, they reached a metal fence. It was the boundary separating the camp from the street. Austin gestured for her to climb it.

"WHAT? We can't cross the fence! We'll be leaving camp property!"

Austin rolled his eyes. "Well that's too bad, because that's where I'm taking you. It'll be fun, I promise. And besides, there's no where else to go! We've explored this place to its fullest, don't you think? Just climb, and you won't regret it."

"I'm not sure about this…" Ally began hesitantly.

"That's what you said about going to see the fireworks, and it turned out great! Trust me, if I didn't think that we were going to have a good time, I wouldn't have brought you here."

Ally shifted her eyes left and right, as if to check for any witnesses, and then slowly nodded.

"You better be right about this," she said flirtily as she began to climb, sticking her toes in the weaving of the metal, "Or else."

"Or else what?" Austin asked with just as much flirt in his voice as he followed her to the other side, "You're going to bore me to death with an angry lecture?"

She laughed. "Something like that."

After crossing the fence, the two walked on the dead, empty street for fifteen minutes straight, Austin leading the way as Ally watched his path with timid fascination. Somewhere within that time, Austin found the courage deep within himself to reach out and grab her hand. For a second, Ally stiffened. Austin was worried, wondering whether or not he had gone to far and Ally would reject this sudden burst of affection. After a few moments, however, she relaxed and Austin felt as she squeezed his hand back. It felt good, amazing, perfect. Her hands were warm and soft and delicate, and the feeling of her fingers intertwined with his own was far too much a treasure for him to take for granted. She even leaned on his shoulder, holding her body against his and resting her head on the curve on his neck as they walked. For a brief, shining moment, the two felt like they were an actual couple. And they loved it.

Far too soon, they reached their destination.

"An ice-cream parlor?" Ally asked as Austin led her to the window. He nodded happily. "I figured this would be a good place to start."

After a moment, she nodded. "Cute idea," she replied cheerily.

"I'll have the brownie explosion," Austin said to the man in the window once they got there, "and Ally here will have the fruity mint swirl,"

"That's sweet, Austin," Ally said, blushing, "But you didn't need to order for me."

"I was just trying to be a gentleman," Austin replied with a gentle smile, "And besides, I knew what you wanted."

Ally nodded, for she could not deny that that was what she would have chosen for herself. Besides, it was kind of sweet...

Five minutes later, the man came back with two small ice cream cones. Austin instinctively took out his wallet from his front pocket.

"Oh, you don't need to pay for me," Ally began, but Austin cut her off. "What kind of guy would I be if I didn't? Come on, Ally, it's no big deal."

Ally gave him a sweet smile to show her gratitude, and soon both teenagers were sitting across from each other at a small, round table.

"How's your ice cream?" Austin asked, trying to keep away from any awkward silences. "Good," she replied cheerily, "It always is."

There was a comfortable quiet for a moment, when all the sudden a random, yet brilliant, idea popped into Austin's head. "Mind if I give it a try?" he asked cutely. He'd seen couples sharing ice creams all the time back home, and in his mind, the more he and Ally acted like a couple, the better.

Ally rolled her eyes at his cheesiness, but nevertheless obliged. Austin licked her ice cream cone, made a comment about how good it was, and then smiled happily as his teenage hormones pumped adrenaline through his veins.

For the next two hours, the two children sat at that very same table and talked. They did some flirting and teasing, of course, but mostly they just discussed things. Just like they always did. In fact, it was seldom any different. Except this time, Austin allowed himself to notice just how beautiful Ally's skin looked in the gentle beam of the moonlight, and Ally didn't curse herself for admiring Austin's toned muscles. This could work, Austin thinks as he laughs at something cute Ally had said to him, dating is hardly any different from being just friends, just with added kissing. We could do this! We really could!

For the second time that night, a genius plan sprouted inside Austin's mind. He smiled mischievously to himself. If all worked as planned, this would be fun.

"Hey Ally," he began, slightly nervous, "You have something on your lip."

"I do?" she asked, confused, "That's weird, considering the fact that I finished my ice cream an hour ago…"

She began to reach for a napkin, but Austin stopped her.

"Don't worry," he said through his grin, "I'll get it."

Just as he was about to lean forward, however—his hormones screaming at him to just kiss her already—Ally did something very surprising. She laughed.

"Really, Austin?" she spoke through giggles, "That's like the cheesiest pick-up-line in the book."

Austin shrugged. "Don't pretend like you don't love it."

He began to lean forward again, and this time Ally did not shrug away. Closer and closer their lips drifted towards each other, as if driven by some magnetic pull. Austin could already feel the soft warmth of the magical kiss that was bound to happen any moment. Ally sensed his gentle breathes against her face. It was going to be perfect this time. Passionate and loving and strong. Closer and closer and closer they began to lean in, closing off the space between them until suddenly…

DRIP.

Huh? Austin looked around, surprised, as a giant drop of water splashed his head.

DROP.

Ally felt one too. It's cool wash of refreshing water shocked her out of her trance.

DRIP. DROP. DRIP. DROP.

Almost spontaneously the rain began to pore. What had once been a cool, dry night had turned into a storm in just a matter of seconds. What a cruddy time for rain.

DRIP. DROP. DRIP. DROP. DRIP. DROP. DRIP.

"Austin, it's raining!" Ally yelled above the sound of water hitting concrete, as if he didn't already know. Water splashed against her face and hair like… well, rain.

"Shoot!" Austin said, anger at himself coursing through his veins for forgetting to check the weather report.

"We need to get some cover!" Ally replied as another huge splash attacked her face.

Austin agreed, and in a moment the two of them were running through the muddy streets, looking for everything and anything that might shield them from the cursed waters.

Inconveniently, however, Ally slipped and fell. "Are you all right?" Austin asked her as he ran back to pick her up.

She nodded and accepted his outstretched hand. "Yeah, It's just that these shoes aren't made for running in these conditions. They're slippery."

"Then take them off!" Austin replied quickly, "I'll hold them. I don't want you to get hurt."

Ally wanted to argue, but she felt as if this wasn't this time. Hesitantly, she obliged, unstrapping her shoes and pulling them off. Then she bounded to her feet, barefoot.

"Come on, now," Austin yelled to her, grabbing her hand in one hand and holding her shoes in the other, "Let's go find shelter!"

They both ran off, laughing and giggling all the way. As inconvenient as it was, they had to admit that it was kind of fun.

By the time the children found a good spot to take cover—a bus station bench with a glass roof above it—they were both soaking wet. Ally's hair was stringy and clumpy, as all wet hair is, while Austin's leather pants sagged, not fit for the tireless conditions of rain.

"Good thing I didn't wear my white blouse tonight, huh?" Ally asked as she took note of her soaking wet clothes, "Wouldn't want to be running through town with a see-through shirt.

Austin laughed, also noticing her soaking clothes. He saw her shiver slightly, cold from the refreshing rain and chilly wind, and suddenly a huge smile stretched happily across his face. He knew exactly what to do.

"You look cold. Here, take my jacket," he told her, pulling it off. Before she could even object, he had already draped it over her shoulders. She laughed at his cheesiness, but accepted it nevertheless. For she truly was cold, and his jacket just felt so right against her body.

"We need to get back to the fence," Ally yelled above the roar of the rain, when they had both caught their breath from running so fast. She looked towards a faraway tree and pointed. "I think we'll be able to see it from there, let's make a run for it."

Austin nodded, pouting slightly at his own bad luck. This day was supposed to be perfect, and now nothing was going by plan. Stupid, rotton luck...

In an instant, the two children were sprinting through the pouring rain, trying desperately to protect themselves from its vicious waters. Ally held a folded newspaper over her head, using it as a sort of hat to protect herself. It did no good. Soon, the paper soaked through and she was even colder than before.

Once at the tree, the children stopped and looked around. Ally had thought that the wide oak's branches would have been enough to hold back the tirade of water, but still many droplets were finding their way through.

"Ok," said Ally has she assessed the situation, "If we run from tree to tree, we'll eventually be able to get back to the fence while getting the least amount of water on us as possible."

She looked at Austin for him to signal his agreement. What she did not expect to see was him rolling his head back and laughing.

"What's so funny?" she asked, confused.

"Us." he answered, "We're standing here acting like a little rain is the end of the world. I mean, what's the big deal?"

For a moment, Ally just stood there, taking in everything he just said. Then, she began to laugh too. Soft, and sweet, and cute. Man, did Austin love that laugh.

"I guess you're right," she said, giggling, "What's a little rain compared to all we've been through? And besides, we're already soaked, anyway. How much worse can it get?"

Almost instinctively, Ally moved out from the shade of the tree and into the open. She lifted her head up, eyes closed, and felt as drop after drop of water ran down her face. She opened her mouth for a moment, tasting the cool rain against her tongue.

"You know, you look beautiful right now," Austin said to her, admiring his perfect view as he walked to stand right in front of her face.

"Even in the rain?"

"Especially in the rain."

She blushed deeply, and Austin marveled at the way her pale skin almost glistened under the cool droplets of water. Her hair, too, was shiny with reflection and her eyes were twinkling like the stars. How had he ever gotten a girl like this?

Very gently, Austin began to move closer to her. He held out his arms and gripped her shoulders softly, feeling her skin shudder beneath his leather jacket. Their faces were inches apart now, staring into each other's eyes. This was the perfect time, he just knew it.

"Are we really going to kiss in the rain?" Ally asked with an amused smile as she realized what was happening.

Austin paused for a moment, as if considering, before replying with a simple, one-word answer. "Yes." In an instant, he leaned forward and brought his lips to meet hers.

The kiss was somehow even more magical than their first. It was passionate and deep, something they couldn't do before because of Ally's weak state. Austin dove himself into that kiss, feeling Ally's warm lips pressed against his own. It was so perfect, so wonderful, so amazing. His hormones were screaming and laughing and going crazy with joy. He never wanted this to stop. Ally, at that moment, suddenly went from shivering in the cold to being as warm as if she were standing right in front of her father's fireplace. She felt so safe, tucked away in Austin's arms. It felt right.

When they pulled away, Ally smiled. "This is literally the cheesiest date I have ever been on. Ever."

Austin laughed back, overcome with senseless joy. With his body still soaking wet, and Ally's shining eyes still locked on his, he replied with the one sentence that seemed to make any sense in this situation.

"Don't pretend you didn't love it."

**So, did you like Austin and Ally's first date? Please review and tell me! I'm actually pretty proud of it, to be honest, but I want to know what you guys think! I actually have 199 reviews right now, so I want to know who's going to be the lucky 200th.**

**I know the whole "kissing in the rain" thing is so cheesy, but I just had to do it! LOL XD. Btw, remember that I really do take suggestions. I already know what I'm going to do for my last and second-to-last chapters, but that leaves me with four empty days wich im totally clueless about. So don't be shy, share! And-hint, hint-a couple of people mentioned to me that they wanted the camp to have some sort of dance. Don't worry, guys, that suggestion was not unnoticed! **

***Please read "Supah Wicked" by EmmaLOUIS. **


	17. Day 16

**Are you guys ready for an update? Well here it is! Just reminding you, this is going to be my last update for at least two weeks because I'm going on vacation after this. I was REALLY busy this week, but i tried really hard to finish this chapter because I promised you guys I would update one more time before my break. It may be a little rushed, but I hope you'll all overlook that. Well, get reading!**

_**Day 16**_

"You ready?"

Austin leaned his body against the doorframe, his arms crossed across his chest coolly and a flirty grin stretched across his face.

"Ready as I'll ever be. Let's go."

Ally walked out of her room happily, a red handbag tucked under her arm.

"Oh," Austin said suddenly once he noticed it, "You might not want to bring that where we're going. It'll just get in the way."

Ally shrugged, heading back inside to drop off her purse. She came back out and grabbed hold of Austin's hand, leaning her body into his.

"So, where are we going tonight?" she asked innocently, fluttering her eyelids cutely as she gazed into Austin's eyes. Tonight was going to be their second official date, and everybody knows that a second date is always an exciting one.

"You really think I'm going to tell you?" he asked her, intermingling their fingers tightly as his eyes smiled for him.

She chuckled slightly. "No, but it was worth a shot."

The two walked in silence for a little while, hand in hand, until they reached the same area of the fence that they had crossed last night.

"Oh no. Don't tell me we're going off camp boundaries _again_!" Ally said in phony exasperation as she caught sight of the neat, metal weaving.

Austin nodded and smiled mischievously. "Come on, you liked it last time. It'll be awesome!"

Ally rolled her eyes, but didn't hesitate to start climbing. For he was right about last time. She DID have fun, so she might as well try it again. As she reached the other side of the fence, she jumped down and landed gracefully on her feet. Austin was quick to follow.

"Just warning you," Austin said as they started walking, "It's a pretty long walk."

Ally shrugged. "That's alright. I like long walks. This should be fun." She gave him cheeky smile as he grabbed her hand lightly, swinging their arms in a cute, couple-like way.

The two walked on, in the same sweet manner that they did yesterday, for the next 45 minutes. They chatted lightly, enjoying each other's company and the gentle warmth that the other provided. It really was a nice day today—Austin swore that it wouldn't rain this time—and Ally enjoyed the sights of nature as the dark pavement eroded into a dirt road that turned and wove into a quiet, secluded wood. It was quite a walk, and the two arrived at their destination feeling as refreshed and relaxed as ever.

"Oh, this looks fun!" Ally exclaimed as Austin's idea came into plain view. Her eyes shined with excitement and truth.

Austin nodded happily. "I thought you'd like it." He couldn't help but feel giddy at the sight of her childish expression.

In front of both of their chocolate brown eyes was the outline of none other than "Super Duper Fun Land." A small, yet childishly fun—as described by the title—amusement park on the outskirts of Miami. Ally vaguely remembered going there as a young, 6-year-old girl with her parents on warm, summer nights. It was her favorite family memory, one of the only ones she ever had because of her parents' early divorce. Austin, too, has memories of the bright, flashing lights of the rides and the sickening sweet taste of the cotton candy on his tongue. To both, the very sight of that bright, colorful sign was like art on a canvas, creating a mix of wonderful feelings and a swirl of happy memories. This would be an amazing night, they just knew it.

Ally followed happily as Austin led her to the ticket booth, purchasing two half-day passes. Ally hooked her arm around Austin's as the two strutted inside, a huge smile stretched across both of their faces.

"We have about two hours before this place closes," Austin said to her cheerily, "What do you want to do first?"

She shrugged. "I don't know. When I came here with my parents we always went on the Merry-Go-Round first! How about that?

The boy immediately gasped and shook his head. "The Merry-Go-Round!?" Austin asked in exasperation, "That stuff is for little kids! Let's go on something that's more for people our own age. I know, how about 'SKULL CRUSHER!' It's the fastest, scariest, most-likely-to-kill-you-est rollercoaster in all of Florida!"

"Um… I don't think so, Austin," Ally replied immediately, taking a step back as she saw the giant monster of a ride in the corner of her eye, "I really don't like roller coasters. They've always been one of my fears. I'd be more comfortable doing something… less likely to kill us."

Austin rolled his eyes and grinned. "Oh, come on Ally," he said, grabbing onto her hand and attempting to pull her towards the ride, "Rollercoasters are fun! It's time you got over your fear and tried it. I'm sure we'll have a blast."

Ally shook her head, but Austin wasn't taking no for an answer. He attempted to pull her by her wrist, but found her feet to be planted firmly on the ground. After pulling and tugging for the next ten minutes, Austin was forced to literally pick her up—carrying her bridal style—and bring her to the waiting twist of metal.

Once he reached the end of the line—which was luckily very short—Austin reluctantly placed Ally down. She just felt so warm and soft in his arms, he couldn't help but want to hold her forever.

"Trust me, Ally. This is going to be really fun," he said to her encouragingly, holding her hand so she couldn't run away, "The best way to overcome a fear is to just face it, without even thinking about it."

He looked at her, expecting to see her trying to pull away, or hear her cutely stern voice as she argued with his words. What he expected was not what he received. Ally was just standing there, staring at the rollercoaster with a horrified expression on her perfect features. She was far paler than usual, and her beautiful brown eyes were wide with horror. As she scanned the height and size of the large, twisted piece of metal that she was supposed to ride, she involuntarily began to shake and shiver, like a little cold kitten. At this pitiful site, Austin's heart broke in two and immediately his compassion overpowers his recklessness.

"Ally, are you ok?" he asked her, wrapping his strong arms around her tiny body, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to pressure you. You don't have to go on it if you don't want to."

Ally returned his hug with just as much emotion, but even as she buried her head into his chest she did not agree. "No, you're right, Austin. I know it's important for me to face my fears—I really do—it's just that… I'm not ready yet. Let's go on some other rides first. We'll work our way up."

"Are you sure?" he asked, concern evident in his voice, "You know you don't have to."

"Yes, I'm sure," she said as she pulled away, a confident smile stretched across her face, "I'm going to do this! I know I can, as long as I'm with you!"

Before Austin could even tell her how proud he was of her, she had already grabbed his hand and dragged him to the Merry-Go-Round. She would start with the easiest ride in the park, of course, and slowly but surely would make her way all the way to the infamous 'SKULL CRUSHER' where she could finally face her fear! As long as she was with Austin, she knew she could do it. With him, she knew she could do anything.

The Merry-Go-Round was admittedly enjoyable for Austin. He and Ally sat side by side on plastic little horses—Ally on a blond one, Austin on a brown—and laughed and chatted playfully as they bumped up and down over and over again. Next was the Ferris Wheel, and it was equally fun. Austin and Ally sat next to each other—holding hands, of course—as their seat was moved in a circular pattern, lifting them high in the air and giving them a beautiful view of the park. Austin almost kissed his beautiful brunette companion at the top, but stopped himself. He would kiss her today, he was sure of it, but he wanted that kiss to be perfect. And he already knew where that magical lip-to-lip contact would take place. He had planned it from the very beginning.

Austin and Ally went all over the park like crazy, going on ride after ride with stupid, happy grins on their faces. They went from the Color Slide, to the Twirler, to the Star Spinner, to the Atomic Bounce, to the Crazy Twist, to the Sky Flyer, and much, much more. Finally, they reached their first roller coaster. The Super Looper.

"Well, here it is Ally," Austin said as he led her by hand to the end of the line. Ally stiffened slightly, but kept on walking.

"It's the easiest roller coaster in the park, after the kiddie coaster. I'm sure you'll do just fine."

Ally nodded nervously. "You're right. I know I will."

"Don't worry, I'm right here. Every step of the way."

At this, she smiled at him gratefully and tightened her grip on his hand. He squeezed back to try and comfort her tweaked nerve.

The line went by far faster than Ally had hoped or expected. Before she knew it, she was being strapped in by a worker in a green t-shirt. He winked at her, probably noticing that she was scared, but it did nothing to sooth her. In fact, the only thing that did in the slightest was the light pressure on her right hand as Austin squeezed it, showing her that she was not alone.

"I'm kind of scared," Ally admitted to Austin as the coaster slowly but steadily began to rise in an ominous fashion, "I haven't been on one of these since I was six. And I hated it."

"If you don't like it, then you don't like it." he replied calmly, "But it's been ten years since your last ride. I think it deserves another shot, don't you? Just give it a chance, ok? And if you hate it, you never have to go on another one again."

Ally nodded, and then lightly blushed. "Thank you for being here with me."

He laughed lightly at her meaningful comment and placed a gentle peck on her cheek. "Well, I _was _the one who talked you into doing this. I wasn't going to wait at the bench for you to finish."

The two smiled at each other, and for a single moment they were the only two people in the world. Nobody else mattered but them. It was all so perfect. If only it could have lasted a little longer.

Without either of them noticing, the coaster reached the top of the hill and began it's descent almost instantaneously. It shot down like a bullet.

"WOOHOO!" Austin shouted as he felt the wind rush through his hair. He turned to the girl behind him and saw with slight amusement the sight of Ally, her eyes clenched shut and her teeth gritted together. "The loops are coming soon," he warned her right before the coaster turned upside down twice in a row, in gut-wrenching circles.

Austin laughed and smiled, his hands raised in the air as he released a few more calls of joy. Almost too soon, the roller coaster came to a stop. At this point, he turned his attention to Ally.

"Did you like it?" he asked her. Her eyes were still clenched closed, but very slowly she began to relax and opened them.

"It wasn't that bad," she replied honestly as she checked to make sure all of her limbs were still attached. Then she turned to Austin and smiled wide. "I-I think ready now. Forget about all of those other coasters. Let's go to the 'SKULL CRUSHER!''

Taken aback by her sudden daring attitude, Austin almost forgot to unbuckle himself as he rose out of his seat. Ally practically dragged him out, nearly sprinting to the giant metal monster that lay in the middle of the park.

"Well, here we are," Ally said as she stopped at the end of the line, huffing to catch her breath. "You scared?" Austin asked her innocently, rubbing his thumb encouragingly on the back of her palm. She shook her head. "I know I can do this. I just need to stop being so afraid all the time." Austin smiled wide. "I'm proud of you, Ally," he told her as the line slowly diminished and they got into their places. "I'm proud of me, too," she replied with a grin as she strapped herself into her seat, "I really am."

The ride started out with the same, long inclination, only triple the height of the other coaster. Ally breathed in and out anxiously as she watched the slow rise.

"You ready?" she heard Austin breathe into her ear.

"Ready as I'll ever be."

She tried hard to prepare herself for the drop, but before she could even start the ride had already began.

ZOOM! The coaster sped down a long, winding drop. It went up and down, up and down, as it twisted and turned in all directions. It bumped and sped across a million little slopes, going through four large loops and turning upside down. At first, Ally's stomach was going crazy. The drop gave her a sick, nauseas feeling and she felt like throwing up. I hate this, she wanted to scream, why did I let Austin do this to me? But in almost an instant, something changed. That sick, swimmy feeling was suddenly replaced by something else. What was it? She knew before she even asked the question. It was a thrill. The wind rolled her hair back, the movement jerked her body left and right in unpredictable patterns. It all just felt so…. amazing! Fantastic! Unbelievable! Before she could even think about what she was doing, Ally let go of Austin's grip and put both her hands in the air. "WOOHOO!" she screamed, allowing herself to swallow the bursts of colorful air. Austin was right. This was amazing! How could she have missed out on this for all those years?

Far too quickly, the coaster halted and slowed to a stop. Ally's confident grin was still painted on her face and her light, beautiful laugh was released into the air. She turned to face Austin, expecting to see a mirror image of her grin, but was met with quite a surprising sight.

Austin sat there, next to her, with his eyes clenched shut and his face a sickly greenish color.

"Austin?" she asked as she took note of these strange attributes, "Are you alright?"

"No," he replied through clenched teeth, "I think I'm going to be sick."

* * *

"Thanks, Ally."

Austin spoke to her lightly as he chugged down a clear bottle of water that she had given him, claiming that it would soothe his stomach. Luckily, it did just that.

"No problem," she replied cutely, still giggling at the irony of the situation, "Thank YOU for teaching me that roller coasters can be fun. You helped me get rid of one of my irrational fears. I owe you for that."

She smiled at him, and he gave her a weak smile back. He still felt a little shaky from the ride.

"We should probably go on something easy for our next ride," Austin admitted, his cheeks pink with embarrassment, "I don't think I can go on a fast one just yet."

"Oh, you don't have to worry about it," replied Ally, shaking her head, "The park is closing in five minutes. Might as well leave now."

"Five minutes?" Austin asked suddenly. The excitement and thrill of what he was planning to do next drove away any motion sickness still left in his system.

"Yeah, so let's go," Ally replied, still unaware that Austin had absolutely no intent on leaving.

"Actually…" he said, grinning mischievously, "I have other plans, follow me."

Confused as ever, Ally tried to object. But he shushed her multiple times, until she had no choice but to do as she was told and follow Austin all the way to a group of bushes positioned conveniently near 'SKULL CRUSHER.'

"Behind here," Austin whispered to her as he tucked himself behind the bushes, "Don't make a sound. I'll tell you when it's safe."

Still very confused and uneasy, Ally followed his behavior and hid herself beneath the greens. It was quite uncomfortable, but she didn't dare ruin Austin's carefully conceived plan... whatever it happened to be. Somewhere in the distance, a voice boomed out in the speaker. "Attention all riders, Super Duper Fun Land is now officially closed for the night. Please make your way to the exit. We hope you all had a super duper fun time!"

The few people who remained on the rides all got off and headed out, careful not to trip over anything in the prevailing darkness. In less than five minutes, the workers he ran the rides all scurried away, too. A security guard made his way around the premise afterwards, but his flashlight never even came close to where the two teens lay stowed away in the bushes. Finally, after a short while, Ally felt a tap on her shoulder and heard the words "All clear" whispered in her ear.

"Austin!" she yelled immediately as she jumped up, "Do NOT tell me that we're trespassing at an amusement park!"

Austin laughed at her fierceness, and quickly nodded his head. "Don't worry, I've done this before with Dez. The guys that work here are clueless. This is completely safe."

Ally wasn't falling for it. "This is so wrong! We're not supposed to be here! Plus all the rides are locked, anyway. Even if this wasn't bad, what is there to do?"

Austin chuckled, completely expecting her outburst, and beckoned her to follow him. "Watch, I'll show you."

He made his way to a smaller-yet-still-very-tall, wooden rollercoaster very close nearby. Ally watched in horror as he stuck his foot in one of the empty spaces between the weaving of the coaster support, and began to climb.

"What are you doing!?" Ally shouted in exasperation as he began to ascend that powerful wall.

"Coaster climbing!" he shouted back, as if it were the most normal thing in the world, "It's fun. Try it!"

"Austin, get down from there!" she yelled at him, worry edging her voice, "You could get hurt."

Austin looked down, already halfway to the top of the smallest bump, and gave a huge smile. "Trust me, Ally. This weaving makes the perfect footholds. It's easy. I've done this tons of times before, and I've never fallen."

"Austin, PLEASE!" Ally pleaded as he reached the top, "Just get down from there. I don't want you to get hurt."

Austin grinned at her wickedly. "If you want me to stop, you have to catch me first."

Ally sighed in frustration and stamped her foot on the ground. That boy could be so annoying sometimes! Very carefully, Ally slipped her foot into one of the holes in the side. Well, she thought as she began to climb, here goes nothing.

It was a terrifying climb, and Ally had to work hard to ignore the gut-wrenching feeling in her stomach as she saw the ground grow farther and farther away with every step. She reached the top of the bump rather quickly, only to see that Austin had already walked the track all the way up to the biggest bump. Ally sighed in annoyance, yet followed.

"Austin!" she yelled at him as she finally reached his sitting figure, with his legs hanging off the edge, "What on Earth were you thinking?" She threw her arms around his body, partially to keep him from running away again, and partially because of her rational fear of falling.

"Look," was all he could answer, "This is why."

Ally, in all her anger, looked where his eyes were pointing and was met with an astounding sight.

"Wow," she murmured quietly. From up here, this dangerously high sight, they could see everything. Every single ride in the entire park. They all sat quietly in the dim light, perfectly still and unmoving. Ally had to admit, it was quite a sight to see. Everything looked so peaceful and beautiful in the moonlight. And from somewhere all the way in the distance, a lake shined methodically in her eyes. It really was nice, and Ally couldn't help but smile.

"Well, I guess this is a nice view," Ally admitted, the last of her anger seeping out of her voice.

He turned to her and nodded. "It really is a perfect view," he replied, though he was not looking at the rides.

Austin pointed up, and Ally saw in all its beauty the image of a shining full moon, caressed by millions of billions of stars. The two just gazed at them for the longest time, admiring the natural light that they provided. They points of light seemed to twinkle and dance in the sky. Mocking them with all their natural-born freedom.

Finally, Austin turned to his date and smiled warmly. "So, do you like coaster climbing?"

Ally nodded and giggled cutely. "I think I might have just found a new hobby."

The two of them chuckled for a minute, before Ally dared to ask the question that had hung in the air since this strange sport had begun.

"Do you take all of your dates up here?" she asked him lightly, trying to hide her burning curiosity.

Austin shook his head. "No. Just you."

"Really?" she asked, confused, "Why's that?"

He shrugged before answering. "This place is a really important spot for me. It allows me to relax and just think about things, you know? It's a special place. And I guess you're just a special girl."

Before Ally could even think about how to respond, Austin moved forward and pressed his lips to hers. Under the moonlight, on the top of the highest view they could find, the two lovebirds kissed. This was what it was like to be in love, Austin realized. It's amazing. It's spectacular. It's meaningful. In all his lifetime, he knew that he had said a lot of things that he didn't mean. But this thing was not one of them. Ally was indeed a very special girl, and Austin must have been the luckiest guy in the world to get to kiss her.

I'm the luckiest guy in the world, Austin thought to himself as Ally's lips danced with his own. The luckiest guy in the world.

**So, you like? I thought this was a pretty cute chapter, besides being rushed. Kinda corny at some parts, but that's only because I tried really hard to finish it and I didn't have time to come up with a completely original idea. Well, please read and review! **

**By the way, I got the whole "Coaster Climbing" idea from my older sister. Apparently when she was a teenager (she's like 24 now) she and her friends would literally do this at a small, nearby amusement park. It's crazy, right? I couldn't help but include it somewhere in this fic :). **


	18. Day 17

**Hey everybody! Guess who's back? My vacation was SOOOO fun, but I missed you guys a ton and I'm really glad to be home again! Anyway, here's the chapter I owe you! I made it extra long to make up for my vacation (it's my longest chapter yet). Enjoy!**

_**Day 17**_

"Actually, I have something else in mind."

The girl's voice is soft, yet firm. Flirty, yet serious. It's like butter on bread, spreading warm and soft through the boy's eardrums, melting into his heart and heating it up with safety and danger. Though he loves her tone, Austin can't quite put a finger on what she is saying. He's confused.

"What? Do you mean you don't want to go on our date tonight?"

To his great relief, the brunette shakes her head.

"Of course not," replies Ally dangerously, "I just think it's my turn to plan the date. You've taken me to two places already, but I haven't gotten a say in either of them. So, wherever you were planning on taking me today, forget it. Tonight, I'm taking YOU somewhere!"

Before the blond boy can even begin to respond, Ally takes his hand and leads him away from where he's standing in his room. He's completely stunned and unprepared, and his feet drag against the carpeted ground. He was planning on picking up Ally from her room in ten minutes, but now it seemed that she had beat him to it. His former plans of a nice, quiet picnic at the park melt away as he realizes that he's left his picnic basket back in his dorm.

"Wait, Ally," he says suddenly, stopping in his tracks, "I left something in my room. Do you mind if I get it, just in case."

Ally shrugs. "Sure, knock yourself out." She waits as he quickly runs back and grabs the basket. When he returns, she smiles with amusement.

"We were going on a picnic?" she asks cheerily, "I should have known. You just can't help but take me on the cheesiest dates possible. Keep that, though. We could use it where we're going."

For some strange, unknown reason, Austin finds himself attracted to the way Ally is now acting. She is taking charge, being flirty, and confident, and dangerous all at once. He can't help but marvel at how beautiful she looks when she speaks so confidently, walking with a stride in her step and a mischievous grin spread on her beautiful face. It's completely and utterly intoxicating. This girl is simply amazing.

"So I'm guessing it's useless to ask you where you're taking me," Austin remarks as he follows the beautiful brunette in front of him, attempting to match her long, confident strides.

"Payback," whispers the girl cutely, and he laughs out loud.

Before long, the two of them have reached the familiar, little fence that separates the camp from the outside. Ally begins to climb.

"We're going off camp boundaries?" Austin asks, faking shock and disapproval, "Ally, I'm shocked!"

The girl giggles. "I know," she replies, with a roll of her eyes "I'm spending too much time with you. You're starting to rub off on me!"

After about ten minutes, Austin and Ally have crossed the fence and reached an old, grimy bus station.

"Where we're going isn't really walking distance, so we're going to have to take the bus for about 45 minutes and then walk for ten more. Don't worry though, I know where I'm going. I've been there tons of times before."

Austin nods, accepting her words, when something curious crosses his mind.

"Hey, wait," he says to Ally as they begin to load onto the bus, "How did you know what the bus schedule was for this place?"

Ally shrugs. "Bryan told me," she answers, as if it were obvious, "He apparently lives really near to here. He knows everything about this place."

Austin nods, understanding. Bryan, too, had been a valuable source of information for him. Without his local roommate, he doubts he'd ever even known about the ice cream shop or the amusement park nearby. He owes a lot to that guy.

The two children walk to the middle of the bus and find an empty row of seats. Trying hard to be a gentleman, Austin lets Ally have the window seat and then scoots right up next to her.

"I wish Bryan would have recommended a different bus station," Ally whispers as she eyes the dirty, dust-covered floor with contempt, "This place is filthy!"

Indeed it is, Austin notes. Beneath every seat are at least three or four pieces of old, chewed-up gum. Lumpy and crusted over, they make for a very disturbing visual appeal. Add to that the grimy, faded seats full of holes and rotting, yellow stuffing, this bus is not what most would call a five-star vehicle. Yet, it is all they have. And so they suck up all their disgust, staring through the smeared, spotted windows as they watch the pavement fly behind them. Austin is hopelessly confused as to where they are going, but Ally is unfathomably excited. She can't wait to show Austin what he is going to see today. Anxiety and enthusiasm pump through her veins like adrenaline. Besides her mom, she has never shown ANYBODY what she is about to show him. But if she knows anything, it's that he deserves this more than anyone. He's amazing.

After far too long, the bus screeches to a stop and the teenagers pile out of the vehicle. Without missing a beat, they walk hand-in-hand towards wherever Ally is planning to go. Despite Austin's prodding, she has still refused to say a thing. Her lips, as he finds out, are completely sealed. He'll just have to wait. He just wishes that he were a little bit more patient…

When Ally's destination finally comes into view, Austin has to bite his tongue to keep from crying out in surprise. This place? For a DATE? It just doesn't seem right! But of course, he trusts Ally more than anything. He can't think like that. If Ally thinks it's a good place to go out to, then it's a good place.

"Well, here it is!" Ally says with a smile as she stops in front of the small, brick building, "Surprised?"

"I'll say," Austin responds, eyeing the sight in front of him as if it were an alien UFO. Ally see's his expression and laughs.

"You'll see," she tells him, "It'll be fun. I promise."

The blond nods and smiles, but he can't take his eyes off of the plain, dusty sign sticking off of the side of the building. In dull, blocky letters, the sign reads in red coloring, "Molly's Northshore Animal Shelter."

"So, uh, mind if I ask," Austin begins hesitantly, "What exactly are we doing at an animal shelter?"

"I told you! You'll see! Just follow me inside, everything will make sense really soon."

He sighs. "Ok, have it your way. I'll wait."

She grins at him and squeezes his hand tight. "What are you waiting for then? Let's go in!"

The inside of the shelter is exactly what one might expect. Dull, white tiles cover the floor, speckled with dust and dander. The wall is painted in light, fading blue and covered from head to toe in a wild array of ascessories. Poster after poster full of information on dogs, or cats, or horses, or birds, or any other animal this shelter may have, are spread across the walls like butter on bread. A large collection of 'Lost dog' posters from people around town, some of which date all the way back to the 1980s', are also hung around. Joining them, laid messily on the floor, are baskets and buckets of dog or cat toys, mixed in with all sorts of animal-related objects. In one corner is a large, square salt-water fish tank swimming with a few clownfish. In the other is an open, green barred birdcage inherited by a gigantic blue macaw preening her feathers. Near the door is a fluffy, fur-covered dog bed, but it's empty. And in the center of the room is square, wooden desk, behind which is a young woman.

"Excuse me, can I help yo—," the woman begins, before she catches sight of who the actual customers are. When she does, the results are immediate.

"ALLY!" she screams in a shrill shriek, piercing both teenagers' eardrums, "OH MY GOD! IT'S REALLY YOU!"

Before Ally can even prepare herself, the woman runs over and wraps her arms around the girl, making her smile and hug back even harder.

"I haven't seen you forever!" the woman screams, "How long has it been now: five years? That's way too long! You've grown so much!"

As the girls embrace, Austin can't help but notice the woman's appearance. Covered by a woolen knit hat, her stunning, ginger hair drapes over her shoulders, matched by a sprinkling of freckles. Her hazel eyes glint happily behind her long eyelashes, and her pearly teeth are slightly crooked beneath her lips. Overall, she looks like she's around 20. Probably 25.

When the girls pull away, after having caught up, the ginger-haired woman turns to him.

"You must be Molly," Austin says, thinking of the name on the shelter's sign.

She shakes her head. "That's my Grandmother. My name is Emma, call me Em for short."

The woman extends her hand and Austin quickly shakes it. "Who's this boy?" Austin hears her whisper to Ally, "Your boyfriend?"

He feels the blush creep onto his cheeks. "Not officially," Ally replies, the same pink in her cheeks, "But we're on our third date, today."

"Well, if you like him you better snatch him up quick. He's a cute one."

Ally blushes fiercely and quickly changes the subject.

"So, how's Molly doing?"

"At 92, she's still going strong as ever. But she's retired. I'm pretty much running this place by myself now." She puts her hands on her hips and a look of intense pride crosses her face.

"That's great! Mind if I ask, does Casper still work here?"

The woman nods vigorously, and Ally squeals with excitement. Austin is confused. Who the heck is Casper?

"The boy is lazing around on the back porch. He's an old thing now," Em notes, "But he still acts like a baby, bless his heart. Good thing you came when you did. I don't think the fellow is gonna last much longer."

Ally nods. "I guess that's to be expected. He was already getting pretty old the last time I saw him. Mind if I go see him?"

"Sure, he'll love that," she responds cutely, "Well, I'll leave you and your friend there to walk around for a bit. I'm sure you two are looking for a little 'alone time.'"

She hands them a wink and then walks over to the other side of the room. "I gotta go feed the horses, now. If you need anything, you know where to find me."

When the woman leaves, Austin can finally ask two of the dozens of questions swimming around in his brain.

"Who was that?" he asks, confused, "And why do you know her so well?"

Ally laughs, putting her hand lightly on his shoulder. "I guess I've kept you in the dark long enough, haven't I. I'll tell you now."

The two teens walk to a pair of dusty, brown armchairs. When they seat themselves, a cloud of dirt and dust rises into the air, causing both to cough violently. After five minutes, Ally opens her mouth to speak.

"When I was little, my mom used to take me here every week. She loved animals, as you probably know by the fact that she's studying gorillas in Africa, and so she and I would just spend time here volunteering with them all. The first time I came here, this place was still run by Em's grandmother. I was six, I think, and Em was fifteen. She was like a big sister to me, honestly, and we hung out all the time. I know this isn't really a typical date place, but last night you took me somewhere that you've never taken another girl before. I just… wanted to return the favor. This is an important place to me, it was a huge chunk of my childhood, and I thought I'd share it with you."

She pauses, blushing, and for a moment there is silence.

"Wow, thanks Ally," Austin replies quickly, taking advantage of the quiet, "It means a lot that you were willing to share this with me."

He smiles at her warmly, and she returns it with just as much enthusiasm.

"Oh, follow me!" she yells suddenly, jumping up from her seat, "Let me introduce you to Casper."

The girl skips away, and Austin must rush to follow. The picnic basket is still in his hand, swinging coolly by his side. "Don't drop that!" Ally warns him as they make there way towards the back exit, "If you do, Casper will eat it right up."

If he was confused before, he's REALLY confused now. What kind of person is Casper, anyway?

When the wooden-hinged door swings open, leading to the back porch, Austin gets his answer. Casper lies stretched-out on the back porch. He's basking in the sun, his eyes half-closed and a silly, little smile stretched across his face. At the sound of the door opening, he lifts his head. When he sees's Ally, his mouth opens and out comes a strange, yet familiar, sound. He barks. No, literally, he barks.

In that split second, Austin realizes something. Casper is no person. He's a dog.

With long, blond fur rushing behind him, the golden retriever runs up to the smiling brunette, barking madly with excitement. Ally kneels down and opens her arms to him, giggling as Casper whines and whimpers with happiness and licks her chin.

"Good boy, Casper!" Austin hears Ally say, a mix of joy and sadness in her voice, "Em was right, you are getting old! Good boy, good boy! I missed you!"

To Austin, Casper looks to be around thirteen-years-old. He's drooling madly all over Ally's shoe and shedding copious amounts of hair and fur onto her jacket. Partially because he's obviously overweight, he has nobly knees that shake and wobble when he moves. The fur around his face is whiter than the rest, probably just due to age, but his demeanor is that of a much younger dog.

"Austin, come over here!" Ally says once she's done greeting the animal in front of her, "Come meet Casper!"

Austin walks hesitantly over to where the dog sits, wagging his tail happily and giving him a cute, doggy smile. Very slowly, Austin inches his hand over to its nose, trying to get him to smell it. Ally shakes her head and laughs.

"Don't be shy, Austin," she says, "He won't bite. I know he looks big and threatening, but he's just a giant teddy bear."

As if to prove Ally's point, Casper jumps up and licks Austin's hand. Then he rolls on his back, revealing a soft, plush underbelly for the boy to rub. Austin does so and Ally giggles.

"Isn't he just so cute?" she asks him, smiling with joy, "I haven't seen this guy in five years. He's thirteen now, I think. Still the same as always."

Austin is silent for a second, watching the retriever bark and drool, when a wave of questions suddenly cross his mind. "Wait a second," he says, "You and Emma said that Casper 'works' here? What did you mean by that?"

Oh yeah," Ally says, smiling at some memory that Austin is yet to hear, "Let me explain. When Casper was younger, he used to always follow Molly and Emma around as they did their choirs. Plus, he'd walk by all the cages and bark whenever any of the animals weren't where they were supposed to be. Everybody called him the security guard. Molly got so attached to him, actually, that she decided to make him the official mascot of the Animal Shelter, just so she wouldn't have to give him away. I'm sure if she didn't, my mom would have adopted him right away. Both of us loved him so much... "

Austin listens and hangs on to every word that comes out of Ally's mouth. He knows that what she's doing right now is opening up to him. He can tell just by the way she talks that this is important to her. It makes him feel so lucky, to think that a girl as amazing as this trusts him enough to tell him about her secret past.

For a single moment, there's a comfortable silence spread between them. Suddenly, Ally speaks up.

"Didn't you bring a picnic basket, this would be a good time to use it."

Austin nods, eager to please, and quickly turns around to grab it. The sight in front of him, however, is something he did not expect. Casper, his tail wagging as fast as a rocket, has his head stinking into the now-opened side of the basket. Inside, Austin can vaguely hear the sound of chewing and slobber.

"Oh no, Casper!" Ally shouts, once she, too, see's this disturbing sight, "Stop that now. Bad dog!"

Immediately, she reaches out and grabs the dog by the scruff of the neck, pulling him backwards. It's too late. This guy was a fast eater.

"Anything survive?" asked Ally as Austin picks up the basket, eyeing the empty contents.

"Nothing but slobber and drool," he begins to say, when something miraculous catches his eye, "No wait. There is something left. The chocolate covered—"

"Chocolate covered strawberries?" Ally interrupts, rolling her eyes, "That's about the most cliché food you can have on a date."

Austin laughs and shakes his head. "Actually," he responds mischeviously, pulling out a sealed plastic container, "This is a little different."

When Ally see's what the container holds, she laughs out loud. "Chocolate covered PICKLES!?"

Austin can't get enough of her bewildered expression.

"Not trying to be the voice of reason, here," Ally begins, "But that sounds absolutely horrible."

Austin laughs and shrugs. "Maybe it does, but we won't know until we try it, will we."

Ally rolls her eyes, but agrees to give it a taste. Very gingerly, she opens the transparent container and takes out one of the pickles. Bringing it to her lips, she takes a giant bite. Almost immediately, she spits it out.

"How's it taste?" Austin asks teasingly, holding back a laugh.

"Disgusting," Ally answers, scraping her tongue with her teeth.

"Really? Let me try."

Ally expects him to reach for the pickle, but instead he does something completely different. Moving right next to her, Austin slowly begins to lean in. In an instant, he presses his lips gently against hers. His lips are warm, and soft, and sweet. She doesn't understand why every single time they kiss it feels like a million fireworks going off in her head. She doesn't understand it, but she loves it anyway.

After about ten seconds, they pull away.

"So, what did you think?" Ally asks with a flirty grin.

"I don't get what all the hype is about. I thought it was amazing. In fact, I think I want to taste it again."

* * *

The rest of the date goes by in a blur. All Austin and Ally really seem to notice is how much fun they are having, and of course, as it always does during these situations, time decides to move ten times faster. Despite their lack of time, however, they do make the most out of the hour that they have. They do some more kissing, of course, and enjoy every second of it. They each take little bites out of the pickles, holding a contest to see who can keep it in their mouths the longest without gagging. They play fetch with Casper, watching and giggling as he chases after the ball, his ears flapping like crazy. They talk a lot and laugh a lot and play a lot, and by the time their magical hour is over, they can both confidently say that they are exhausted, yet completely satisfied.

When play time is over, Austin and Ally walk hand-in-hand towards the stables.

"I just want to say bye to Em," Ally tells him joyously. He nods and agrees. He kind of likes that woman, and he wants to say goodbye, too.

When they arrive there, Austin and Ally have to bite their tongues to keep from crying out in awe. The site is beautiful, it really is.

The stables, of course, are quite ordinary. Brown and wooden, with the lingering smell of rancid manure. It's what's inside the stables that catches their eyes. Three, beautiful, majestic mares. Or two and a half, to be more precise.

The first, and most prominent of the three, is a large, sturdy male. He's a dark, chestnut brown with long, black hair on his head and tail. His legs get darker and darker, almost to a pitch black, the further they go down, until they are met with the striking contradictions of his shiny, white hooves. He holds himself up with a powerful confidence and stunning pride, rubbing his hooves roughly against the dirt of the shelter and neighing softly to himself.

Next to him, with a slightly smaller stature, is a pretty little female. She has a speckled gray coat, matched with short, bristly hair on her head and a long, flowing tail. Her hooves are also a stunning, shiny white, but they look far more natural next to her soft gray exterior rather than the other's powerful brown one. She looks softer and gentler in temperament than her friend, and is currently in the middle of caring for what could only be her child.

The third horse is that foul. He's small and fragile looking, matching his mother's coat almost exactly. At this age, he is still quite attached to her, and so as she nuzzles and licks him affectionately, he refuses to even budge from her side. Both teens can't help but notice how cute the little guy is.

As Austin and Ally stare and point, Emma comes up from behind them.

"You want to ride them?"

Both of them jump from start, but then turn around with smiles on their faces.

"Yeah! That would be really fun!" Ally says enthusiastically, gripping onto Austin's arm and bouncing with excitement.

"Well then knock yourself out," she replies, "But you two are gonna have to share a horse. Whisper is nursing her foal, so she can't ride. But don't worry, Buck is big enough for the both of you."

Ally nods cheerily and, still holding on to Austin's arm, drags him over to the big, chestnut horse in the middle, whose name is apparently Buck. Ally saddles him and puts on the horse-riding gear in less than five minutes.

"My mom used to let me ride horses with her all the time when we were here," Ally explains when she see's the look of astonishment plaguing Austin's face, "I used to love this little one named Dandelion, but I guess she got adopted."

Quickly, Ally throws her leg over one side of Buck and straightens herself upwards as she sits on his back. She pats the spot behind her and motions for Austin to join.

"How come you get to sit in the front?" Austin complains as he pulls himself up.

"Because I'm the only one here who knows how to ride a horse," she answers teasingly before kicking gently on the horse's side. In two kicks, the horse begins to trot forward.

There's a clearly marked trail for them to follow, and Ally has no trouble staying in line. The views are nice and clean, but the pace is deathly slow and Austin quickly gets bored.

"Can we speed this up a little?" he asks, not even halfway finished with the trial.

Ally looks back for a moment, and then smiles mischievously. "Of course," she says. Quickly, she shouts a command and does some wild movement with the reins. In an instant, the horse takes off.

Austin is so surprised by the sudden and immense change of speed that he nearly falls off. Luckily he grabs on to Ally's waist just in time.

"I didn't mean this fast!" he tries to shout, but the rush of the wind blocks out any sound he tries to make. Knowing that nothing he says will make any difference, he decides to just enjoy the ride. It's a lot easier than he expected.

Ally's waist is mainly what captures his attention. It's so tiny and cute. His hands fit perfectly around it, as if they were made to hold onto her. He's sure he can feel the gentle beat of her heart through the tips of his fingers. Her steady breaths are made crystal clear through the expanding and deflating of her stomach and chest. Gosh, she's so beautiful. Holding onto her like this just feels so… right.

Because of all the shaking and bumping of the horse's rump, Austin is forced to move forward. Now his chest is pressed directly against Ally's back. The closeness is intoxicating him. He feels woozy just thinking about it! Her beautiful brown strands of hair blow into his face. They tickle his nose and cheeks, but he doesn't push them away. He can't, they just smell far too amazing. Like strawberries, and perfection.

For a moment, the boy closes his eyes and just feels. He allows himself to truly experience the closeness between himself and the girl of his dreams. And in that instance, he realizes something. He loves her. He really, truly loves her.

Far too quickly, the ride comes to a close. "Have fun?" Ally asks, grinning wickedly with that smile he loves so much. Austin nods and answers.

"You have no idea."

**So, what did you think? Review and tell me! :D :D :D**


	19. Day 18

**Hey everybody! Before I say anything else, I just want to tell you: SORRY SORRY SORRY SORRY SORRY SORRY SORRY! I know that this update is late, and that's a hundred percent my fault. I procrastinated until Friday to start this and on Saturday I was extremely busy. Therefore I wrote most of this on Sunday, my last day of summer. It's probably not as great as it should be, but I guess that's the price to pay for procrastination. Well, enjoy!**

_**Day 18**_

It is a sunny day this Thursday morning. Nice and calm and pleasant, without a cloud to tarnish the perfectly blue sky. It's warm, but not hot. Breezy, but not chilly. Birds chirp and sing and fly as happily as ever, serenading all passersby with pretty little melodies. Just perfect for spending time outside with a very special girl...

Normally, the blond lying in bed would be extremely happy to see the sun as it shines through his window. It would be a sign to him of good times ahead. But today, for some odd reason, the boy has another thought plaguing his usually optimistic self. One that drives away all others, leaving him in a very worrisome state.

Austin wakes up this morning with the memory of last night still fresh in his mind. Bryan's words, as subtle and casual as they had been when he had come back from the date that night, have not stopped ringing in his ears. Over and over again, they replay themselves. Swimming in his brain like baby ducks in a pond. Bringing him doubt to the point that it's nearly intolerable. So much so, that Austin can do little to stop the flashback that suddenly comes upon him.

"_Hey dude. You're back late today, aren't you."_

_The dark-haired boy watches with wide eyes as his companion quietly sneaks into the room, far past midnight. Like always, he's not asleep._

"_Yeah, we stayed a little longer than we should have. But nobody caught us, so we're good."_

_Bryan nods, barely reacting as Austin throws off his jacket and plops himself down on his bed in exhaustion. He knows his friend is tired, but he can't help but voice the question in his mind. He's been holding it back from the moment Austin left for his date with Ally, and he knows if he keeps it back any longer it's sure to slip away._

"_So, Austin, do you know about the dance?"_

"_What?" replies the blond singer, a look of confusion plaguing his face. Bryan rolls his eyes. He assumes that that's a no. _

"_The dance," the boy begins to explain, "Every summer, on the second-to-last day of camp, the councilors throw an 'End of Camp' party so the kids can celebrate and say goodbye and everything. Usually, kids like to ask dates to go with them. I just wanted to know if you asked Ally yet. It's in three days."_

_Austin shakes his head, now fully and completely paying attention._

"_I'll do that first thing tomorrow," the boy claims, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly, "I mean, it's not like it's a big deal or anything. We've already been on three official dates. It goes without saying that we'll be attending the party together."_

_Austin expects Bryan to drop the subject then, but his roommate somehow manages to surprise him._

"_Oh, no way! Austin, you're going about this all wrong!"_

"_Huh?" Austin asks, confused, "What do you mean?"_

"_You can't just go out and ASK her! After all the big, romantic gestures you two have done for each other, that would be a HUGE let down. If she knows about it, she's probably expecting something big. And if she doesn't, you'll take all the magic out of it. If you want her to say yes, you have to ask her in a big way."_

_Austin is silent for a second, contemplating, before he finally decides to speak up._

"_And you know this from your vast experience of never having a girlfriend?"_

_Bryan chuckles and shrugs. "So? Just because I've never had a girlfriend doesn't mean I don't know how to treat one."_

_Filled with exhaustion, Austin only yawns in response. Bryan is just being stupid, he's sure of it. Ally's not expecting anything. He knows she'll say yes no matter what. It doesn't matter how he asks her. It doesn't matter at all._

"_Fine, do what you want, Austin," Bryan finally says with a smirk, taking his silence as a decline, "But just remember what I said. And don't come running back to me when things don't go your way."_

_Before Austin can even begin to form a response, Bryan plugs in his earphones and is already intoxicated into his computer, leaving his roommate to drown in his own doubts._

_It's okay, he reminds himself over and over again. Ally doesn't care. But deep down, he's not so sure if it's really okay. _

In a minute or so, Austin comes back to reality. He finds that he's in the middle of changing, his bland white t-shirt still scrunched up in the palm of his hand. In an instant, he pulls it over his head, also slipping on a black, leather jacket to add something interesting to his look.

Ok, Austin thinks to himself as he gets ready to walk out the door, as soon as I see Ally, I'm just going to ask her. Not a big deal or anything, I'll just ask.

Still, even as he tries to reassure his aching mind, doubt still pulls at him from the back of his brain. What if she really was expecting more? What if Bryan was right? What if she says no?!

She won't. He knows she won't.

But what if she does?

That's a risk the boy is not willing to take. Not at all.

Austin sighs in defeat. He knows what he has to do. It's been inevitable since the moment the kid had opened his mouth last night.

Walking out the door, Austin makes his way to the boys' bathroom. Inside, as expected, he finds Bryan brushing his teeth. He waits patiently as the boy leans over and spits into the sink.

"What do you want?" he asks as he wipes his mouth on a bright red hand towel.

"You were right," is all Austin can say, "I need to find a big way to ask Ally to go to the dance with me. Will you help?"

He resents the all-knowing smirk that appears on Bryan's face as he says this, but his reply makes it all worth it.

"I thought you'd never ask."

* * *

Ally walks out of her final class that afternoon with a look of complete confusion plaguing her usually insightful eyes. A thousand unanswered questions rush through her head all at once, giving her a searing curiosity that nearly burns through the back of her skull. Knowing that she is unable to take this much longer, Ally quickly glances around the hallway, looking around for her strange little roommate.

It doesn't take long for Ally to spot the black-haired, sci-fi loving girl taking a sip from an old, dusty water fountain. As fast as she can in her mini-heels, Ally rushes over to her.

"Amanda!" the brunette shouts when she gets close enough, "Stop! I need to talk to you for a second!"

Fortunately, Amanda hears and is willing to obey. She pulls her head away from the fountain and, wiping her wet lips with her sleeve, waits for Ally to come to her. When she finally makes it, the brunette proceeds to pant for a few moments, hunched over from running so fast. After a little while, however, she is finally ready to say what is on her mind.

"Have you seen Austin anywhere?" she asks, concern evident in her voice, "He hasn't been in any of my classes all day! Come to think of it, neither has Bryan. Where do you think they are? And what on earth are they thinking! Skipping class like this is crazy!"

Amanda shakes her head. "That's odd," she replies nonchalantly, though Ally swears that she can see a twinkle in her eyes, "Maybe we should look around for them."

Ally agrees, and before she can even say another word they're already in front of the boys' dorm, knocking furiously. After a little while, Ally throws her fist down in frustration.

"Where ARE they?" she moans, "Why didn't Austin tell me where he was going?"

"I don't know," responds Amanda, the twinkle in her eyes still not gone, "But let's keep looking. How about we go to our dorm next?"

Ally looks at the girl skeptically, her arms crossed over her chest in defiance, "Why would we go to our dorm? They don't even have a key to go in! They couldn't be in there even if they wanted to."

Amanda shrugs. "I don't know, but we won't know if we don't look, will we."

Ally rolls her eyes but inevitably agrees, slowly trudging along as her companion leads her to the familiar door. She listens with half interest as the door squeaks open and her entire room comes into view.

"See," she says once her eyes quickly scan the dorm, "They're not here. Let's go."

Amanda shakes her head, however, and a strange smile appears on her face.

"Are you sure about that?" she asks smugly.

"Well… yeah…" Ally replies, confused and a little bit frustrated.

"I think there's something on your bed, Ally. You should go check it out."

Still as confused as ever, Ally glances over towards her bed and see's, with great confusion, that Amanda is right. On her mattress lies something as still as a dead leaf on pavement. It's a deep, dark red, similar to the color of blood but not quite. Ally certainly did not put it there. Unable to control her burning curiosity, the girl walks up to it.

She's not sure what she expected, but she's surprised all the same. The object, as she sees it, is a classic, red heart, obviously cut out of construction paper. On it, written in a black sharpie, is the simple word 'Ally.'

"Turn it over!" Amanda urges once she sees it too, and when Ally finally does so she finds that there are more words on the other side. Quickly, she scans the note with a look of complete shock.

_Dear Ally, __I have a surprise for you. But if you want it, you have to find me first. __I hid one of these hearts __in 21 different locations __all around the camp. Your __job is to find them, and they'll lead you to me. I'll give __you a hint: where have we __spent time together? Start __from the beginning. – Austin_

Ally gasps. A soft blush begins to creep upon her cheeks. Did she read it right? Quickly, she scans the paper again. Same results. What game is this boy playing at?

Interrupting a flow of questions in the girl's mind, Amanda speaks up.

"What are you waiting for, Ally?" she says with a smirk, "Didn't you say you wanted to find Austin? Well, surely this is going to lead you right to him. Let's go!"

Ally looks up at the girl, and suddenly a surge of warmth spreads through her body.

"This is just so…. ROMANTIC!" Ally says as her mind wraps around everything, "Wow, a scavenger hunt! I can't believe he's doing something like this to me! This stuff only seems to happen in the movies!"

Ally squeals and jumps up and down with excitement. She's somewhat surprised to see the shy and reserved Amanda doing it with her. Then, suddenly, a thought crosses her mind.

"Hey, wait," she begins skeptically, "How did you know that this heart was going to be here? Oh my gosh…. You're in on this, aren't you!"

Amanda giggles and shrugs. "Come on, Ally," she replies nonchalantly, "Are you going to keep throwing around blame, or are you going to find those hearts?"

Ally smiles. "I think we both know the answer to that question."

* * *

After a few more minutes of bubbling excitement, the girls finally manages to settle down.

"Where do I start?" Ally asks her friend as she throws her book bag onto her bed, "We've done so many things these past weeks. Where do I go first?"

"Read the note," Amanda responds, "Austin said start from the beginning. So what did you do the first day you came here?"

Ally closes her eyes and thinks for a moment. She allows herself to go all the way back to the beginning.

"Not much," she admits, "We just sat on the front steps for a little while, though I already walked past them so it couldn't be there, and then he helped me put away my clothes."

Suddenly, a spark goes off in her brain. In an instant, she rushes over to her sticking clothing drawer and, with great difficulty, pulls open the top. Sure enough, a heart sits waiting patiently over all of her stuff. On it is the simple phrase 'Day 1.'

"Found it!" Ally screams with excitement. She puts it on top of the other. "Two hearts so far, many more to go."

"Great!" exclaims Amanda, "Now time for day two. What did you do then?"

Ally looks down at her shoes and thinks, pondering what indeed the two of them had done.

"That was before we started hanging out every day," she explains, rubbing the back of her neck awkwardly, "I don't think we really did anything."

"Are you sure?" Amanda asks, skeptical, "I remember that was the day you drank way too much coffee. And you two had breakfast together. Did anything happen then?"

"Oh, yeah!" Ally exclaims with excitement, "I hugged him from behind while he was eating pancakes. I mean, it only lasted a few seconds, but it was really cute. Let's go to the cafeteria!"

In an instant, the two girls are rushing to the large room as fast as their legs can carry them. Ally is smiling all the way, the memory of her hug with Austin somehow still fresh in her mind. She can still feel the warmth of his body pressed against hers. Still see his bright smile and shining eyes as he saw who it was who was so excited to see him. Still hear his gentle chuckling as she babbled into his ear. She sighs with contentment. That day may have been quite boring, she remembers, but the hug they shared was something special. For both of them.

Sure enough, when the teen girls enter the room, they are met with the sight of a bright red shape lying innocently on a counter. Ally peels it off and reads, with great joy, the words "Day Two." In a flash, she puts it with the others.

"Okay, what's next?" Amanda asked after the girls had both grabbed a cup of ice-cold water to cool themselves down from all the running.

"Oh, here's where it gets good!" Ally replies with a smile, "The third day was when we started this whole thing. I was sleeping on a hammock and Austin just… joined me. We cuddled there for what felt like hours. It was so nice."

As expected, the girls go outside and find a heart taped to the rope weaving, swaying peacefully in the wind just as they had that day.

"Is that all?" Amanda asks. Ally shakes her head.

"We also watched the sunset, actually. Do you think he'd give me two hearts for one day?"

Amanda shrugs. "I don't see why not."

The girls wander around for a little bit, Ally unsure of where exactly they had watched it, but not long after they see the glint of red in the sea of green grass. Ally picks it up and smiles. She's already having fun, and they've barely even begun the hunt.

After that, the trend continues. For the next hour or so, the two teens go around the entire campus, picking up heart after heart with stupid, silly grins stretched across both of their faces. They find one near the murky lake to mark the day that the two teens swam with their clothes on. They find another besides the stone steps where the couple sat on the day that they sang together. Two more appear from their sixth day: one sitting near the pool and one hanging down from the branch they used to see the fireworks. For day seven there are actually three: one in the spot in the boys' room where a sleeping Austin fell on Ally's lap, another where Ally had hidden in the tree, and the last in the exact spot where Ally tackled Austin as they played hide-and-go-seek. The next, for day eight, is taped onto Austin's tablet, where they had watched 'Lady and the Tramp' together. For the ninth day, Ally is forced to crawl into Mr. Sherman's classroom and retrieve the following heart through the window, signifying the time when she and Austin played Monopoly during his detention. Of course, there was also another one in the actual Monopoly box.

"Gosh," Ally says, as she and Amanda take a break, panting all the way, "Austin and I have done SO many things these past few weeks. We've been running around like crazy!"

Amanda agrees, but did not allow Ally to relax for long, "Come on Ally, we're almost there. Let's keep moving!"

They find another attached to a Frisbee from the day she had accidentally hit Austin in the face and knocked him out. It also happened to be the day that she found out that she liked him. The next is taped to the school bus that brought them to the field trip to the beach. The place where she had almost drowned and Austin had kissed her for the first time. The following is in the infirmary, followed by one in the get-well card he had made for her. Just looking at it all makes her blush. It also brings back a string of beautiful feelings and memories. But she is not done yet, and she knows it.

"Amanda, something's wrong," Ally claims as she sits down for a moment to count all the hearts she has collected, "We already have 19 hearts, which means that there's only two left. But we're only on day 14, so we still have three days to go. That means one day is left unaccounted for!"

Amanda is quiet for a moment, thinking. "Well maybe he had to lump some of those days together or something. Is there anything about those three dates that he might have been able to do that with? Do any of them share some sort of characteristic?"

"I don't think so—," Ally begins suddenly, before an idea pops into her brain and she cuts herself off, "The fence! We've had to cross a specific section of it every time we went on our date!"

Amanda smiles and soon the girls are gallivanting towards the metal wiring, Ally leading the way.

"I see it!" the brunette yells in excitement as a flash of red comes into view, "It's right where I said it would be!"

In a minute or two, the girls reach the heart. They are much too excited to even hold their side as they pant from exhaustion.

"Look!" Ally exclaims as she reads the black lettering written on its side, "It says 'Day 15, 16, and 17.' That's all the days, but there's still one heart left to go. What are we supposed to do?"

Almost as if he were waiting for the girl to say this, a boy suddenly jumps out from behind the bushes. And no, he's not Austin.

Ally shrieks and jumps back from fright for a moment, surprised as Bryan pops out right in front of her.

"Bryan!" Amanda laughs, her nose crinkling with amusement, "Don't scare her like that!"

Bryan grins at her, before turning his attention right back towards Ally.

"It's because the last heart is for today," the boy explains, grinning with excitement, "If you want it, you have to find Austin."

"Well then where is he?!" Ally responds, nearly bursting from anticipation, "Just tell me!"

The other two teenagers laugh at the girl's determination. "I'll give you a hint," responds Bryan, "Go to the front steps of the building, and look up. That's all I can say."

"Got it!" Ally exclaims, almost instantly jumping up from where she stood and stampeding away.

"You go find him!" Amanda calls from the fence, "I'll stay here with Bryan! Good luck!"

Ally smiles to herself as she hears those words. Her heart pounds in her chest like a thousand hummingbirds, and butterflies go crazy in her stomach. It's all about to happen. The surprise is up. And something inside tells her it's going to be good.

Just as she's told, Ally makes her way to the front steps. Then she takes a deep breath, closing her eyes as she allows her mind to wrap around everything that's happening. Adrenaline pumps through her veins and her mind is swimming with a thousand different possibilities. But right now, despite her excitement, all Ally wants to see is Austin's face. That scavenger hunt—as amazing and spectacular as it was—reminded Ally of just how wonderful that blond boy could be. She smiled to herself. It showed her the most wonderful thing of all: the truth. She could see it now. She was in love with Austin. She really was. This wasn't just a simple, schoolgirl crush like she had felt several times before, it was real. The most real thing she had ever experienced.

Taking one last deep, calming breath to prepare herself, Ally slowly opens her eyes and looks up. There, in all his wonder, is the one and only Austin Moon. Standing on the roof.

"What are you waiting for?" the boy calls down to her as he see's the brunette looking, "Come on up! There's a latter on the other side of the building!"

Ally doesn't move. She just looks, her eyes wide and her mouth agape. And then, after a few moments of complete stillness, she bursts out laughing.

"Coming!" she calls back, still giggling like crazy. That boy was just so… cute. She couldn't possibly take any more of this.

In five minutes flat, the girl finds herself at the top of the latter. She pulls herself onto a section of the roof, which is luckily very flat, and straightens herself up. There, barely ten feet away, stands Austin. He smiles at her, and she feels herself melt.

"Austin?" she asks with a mix of love and amusement, "What is all this?"

"You'll see," he says with a smile, "But first take your final heart. Number 21."

Ally nods and steps forward. Expecting him to be holding it. But he is not.

"Ummm… where is it?" she asks, confused.

He laughs at some inside-joke that she does not yet understand.

"I'll get it," he says with a smile, "Or should I say she?"

Before the girl can even begin to contemplate what this could possibly mean, the boy whistles. From behind an air vent, an animal suddenly runs out towards him. She gasps as she see's a tiny creature with short, blond hair and a dark red bow tied up above her ear. It's a puppy. A Golden Retriever puppy.

Ally's mouth is wide open. She can't help it. Her mind just can't process this.

Austin chuckles at her speechlessness, picking up the squirming animal and holding it in his arms. "Her name is Carrie," he explains, "I got her from this farmer who was selling his dog's litter. She was the friendliest one I could find. I thought that she would remind you of Casper."

Ally still can't speak. She just stands there, frozen.

"Don't be shy," Austin jokes happily, "She won't bite."

Almost instinctively, without her mind telling her body what to do, Ally moves forwards. When she reaches Austin, she holds out her hand and glides it along Carrie's back. The puppy barks affectionately and begins to lick at the girl's fingers. She giggles and a smile stretches across her face.

"Look at her collar," Austin instructs. Ally does so and see's, with great amusement, that it's in the shape of a red heart. On it are the simple words of 'Day 18.'

Before Ally can comment about how cute this is, Austin speaks up again.

"Turn it over," he commands. When she does, the girl giggles with excitement. In big, black lettering it reads 'Will you go to the dance with me?'

In an act that even surprises herself, Ally leans forward and throws her arms around the boy. "Of course!" she whispers in his ear, "How could I say no after all this?" Instantly, she presses her lips against his. In all honesty, it's their most magical kiss yet. Especially because there is a little puppy squirming between them.

"You know," Ally says cutely after they pull away, "You could have just ASKED me to go the dance with you. I would have said yes no matter what."

Austin chuckles nervously and his face blushes a deep crimson. "Oh…" he replies, his voice trailing off. Ally laughs.

"That doesn't mean that I don't LOVE this."

At this, the boy smiles. Tell her you love her, a part of his brain screams. Do it now! It's the perfect time!

He knows it is. Slowly, he begins to open his mouth.

"Ally," he begins. She turns to him and looks with her beautiful, big brown eyes.

"Yeah?" she asks, focusing all her attention on him, "What is it?"

His mouth opens. His tongue beings to form the words. The simple phrase swims over and over again in his mind. It's time. He needs to tell her.

"I…" he begins, before a sudden surge of anxiety takes ahold of him,"—can't wait for the dance! Only two more days!"

Ally laughs. Dang it, Austin thinks to himself in anger, the moment is over! He nearly face palms when he realizes that he'll have to wait until the dance before he'll get the perfect chance to tell her again. He's shunning himself silently when the girl suddenly decides to speak up.

"By the way," Ally says as she holds her newfound friend to her chest, "Thank you, Austin. This is the most amazing thing anybody has ever done for me. This honestly means so much. I…. really, really care about you. A lot."

"I really care about you, too, Ally. I mean, why do think I did this? It's not because I hate you, that's for sure."

The girl laughs. "Thank you, Austin," she says again, "I mean it. This day was perfect."

You're perfect, Austin replies inside his own head. I just wish you knew it. But you will by the time the dance comes around. Because that's the day that I'll finally tell you that I love you. I really, truly love you.

The boy watches with glazed eyes as the girl of his dreams slowly and gracefully walks away, holding her new pet and summoning for him to follow. Gosh, she's so beautiful. And she's his. He simply can't believe that she's his.

**So, did you like it? Please review and tell me! I'm a little embarrassed on how rushed it ended up being, but I seriously don't have time to make it any better. So, sorry! I still hope you guys liked it a lot! I added extra Auslly to make up for it being kinda late. **


	20. Day 19

**Hey everybody! I know I'm kinda late with this chapter, but honestly it's not my fault this time! I've just had a really busy week, and I didn't have a lot of time to write this, so it's kinda rushed. Still, I hope you overlook how fast it goes and just enjoy it :). Btw, it doesn't have too many auslly moments mostly because of... well, you'll see. Enjoy!**

_**Day 19**_

"Hehe, STOP! That tickles!"

The young brunette rolls over in bed, giggling madly as she tries to fight off the miniature beast attacking her face with its soft, wet tongue.

"Off, Carrie, off!" she shrieks as the puppy continues to bounce around, pretending not to enjoy it, "It's not even 7o'clock yet! I'm tired!"

After another five minutes of this, Ally finally gives in to the creature's endless excitement. She opens her eyes just a crack and flinches as the bright, natural light stuns her pupils. Still dizzy from exhaustion, the girl turns to look at her alarm clock. 6:45am, about fifteen minutes earlier than normal. She's tired, but she shrugs it off. It isn't that much of a difference, really. And besides, how could she be mad at such a cute little thing?

Ally stands up and sees with a smile as Carrie jumps down from the bed to follow her. She still can't believe that Austin got her such an amazing present. She's wanted a dog since… forever. The only reason she didn't have one already was because her dad thought that it would be too expensive. But Ally knew that even HE couldn't turn down something as cute as this. Plus, even if he tried, she doubted he'd give up something that she got for free.

Looking down, Ally bends over and pets the hyper puppy. She licks her hand and whines with affection. "Be quiet," the girl warns the golden retriever, "I'm not technically supposed to have pets in here. Be good while I'm gone and I promise I'll take you out right when lunch starts." The dog barks in response. Ally rolls her eyes and smiles. Hopefully it knew what she what she was saying.

Taking her time, Ally changes into a simple, lacy top and a long pair of blue jeans. She brushes her hair and ties it up in a ponytail, before slipping on a pink pair of flip-flops. By the time she's finished, Amanda is already up and about, cleaning off her thick glasses as she prepares to go to breakfast.

"You excited about the dance?" Amanda asks casually as she slips her glasses onto her face, pushing them above her nose.

Ally nods enthusiastically. "So excited!" she admits, "Maybe you could help me pick out my outfit for the dance tonight! I'll help you, too. I could even do your makeup!"

At this, the girl shies away. "Actually, Ally," she says shyly, looking at her feet, "I'm not going to the dance."

Ally is shocked. "Why not?!" she questions, "It'll be fun."

Amanda shakes her head. "I don't really like parties," she claims, "And besides, nobody asked me."

Ally can't believe it. She thought for sure that Bryan would have asked Amanda by now. It was clear that they liked each other, so why not?

"Well, um, why don't you ask Bryan then?" Ally asked quickly, "Sure, a girl asking a guy isn't traditional, but so what? Boys like girls who take charge. And besides, I bet Bryan really likes you!"

At this, Amanda blushes fiercely. "No he doesn't!" she claims in an unbelievable tone, "And I don't like him either. Besides, even if I did, I could never do that."

Before Ally even has a chance to push her any more, the girl grabs her backpack and runs out of the room, leaving the brunette stunned in silence. Besides the soft sound of squeaking as Carrie chews on a rubber bone, not a sound can be heard. Finally, after far too long, the girl can finally move.

"Come here, girl," Ally whispers as she attaches a leash to her new dog's collar, intent on taking her out to use the bathroom while everybody was still at breakfast, "It's time to go."

Swiftly, the two leave the dorm. They luckily make it out the back entrance without being seen by any passersby. As the dog relieves itself, Ally is finally given the chance to think.

"You know what?" Ally says proudly to her dog as they stand alone in the field of grass, though she knows she can't understand her, "Tonight, me and Austin aren't going to go on a date. Instead, we're gonna help Bryan and Amanda get together!"

* * *

"Ally, what are you talking about?"

The blond boy and brunette girl walk side by side in the hallway, holding hands and swinging their arms lightly. Today, being a Friday, is the last official day of classes, and for that Austin is both relieved and disappointed. Relieved because, as many know, he hates class. Sure, they may have had "finals" today to tie up everything they had learned, but it really didn't count for anything so who cares if he did horribly? And he is disappointed because… well, he doesn't really want it all to end. These three-weeks had simply been amazing. He can't stand the fact that it will all be over so soon.

"I'm taking about Bryan!" Ally answers, cutting off Austin's thoughts, "You need to talk to him! Tell him to ask Amanda to the dance!"

The boy is confused. "Why?" he asks innocently.

"Because they'd be perfect for each other!" Ally insists, as if it is the most obvious thing in the world, "And I think Amanda really wants to go. It would mean the world to her if he asked."

Austin looks down at his shoes, as if considering, before he formulates his reply.

"But why should we get involved?" he asks, "I mean, wouldn't it be better if we just let it happen naturally?"

As soon as he says this, Ally glares at him and he shuts his mouth. "When we were 'just friends' they pushed us together, didn't they?" she replies proudly, "If they didn't we'd probably still be confused right now. I mean, they've helped us a lot. Shouldn't we do the same?"

Austin shakes his head. He just doesn't like the idea of butting into other people's business. It's just not… him. Quickly, he turns his head to refuse Ally, when all the sudden he stops. Ally's eyes—as brown and beautiful as they had always been—are now excessively wide, starting to tear up. She's pouting her plush, pink lips, gently mouthing the word "please" over and over again. Austin knows this look all too well. It's the puppy-dog face. The boy sighs. He knows that he cannot possibly say no to this.

Austin looks at the girl, and with a cute, flirty smile he opens his mouth.

"Alright then. Come on, Ally, let's be matchmakers."

* * *

Austin walks into his dorm room that afternoon with a slight twitch in his step. He has to admit it, he is nervous. He just doesn't know why.

Just as expected, he see's a dark-haired boy lying stretched out on his bed, earphones tucked inside his ears. When the boy see's him, he smiles warmly. Austin tries to smile back, but his insides flutter nervously and it comes out looking as fake as it really is. Slowly, the boy gestures for his roommate to take off his ear buds. Luckily, he does so without question.

"Hey Austin," Bryan says nonchalantly, focusing completely on his computer screen, "What's up?"

"Nothing much," he lies, "Just thinking about the dance. Hey, have you asked anyone yet?"

The boy shakes his head. "Nah, I don't think I'm going."

Austin fanes shock and questions him. "Why not?" he asks.

"Eh, no reason…" Bryan replies, his voice trailing off. Austin knew better than to believe him.

"Why don't you ask that Amanda girl, then," he says as if it were just a random train of thought, and not some kind of messed up scheme, "She's cute, and I think she likes you."

At this, Austin watches with awe as Bryan's cheeks turn bright red.

"I doubt it," he replies, biting his lip, "She doesn't really seem like the type who'd like going to parties, anyway."

"So? I bet you two could still have fun. You like her, don't you?"

Austin nearly chuckles as he see's Bryan's face turn into an even brighter shade.

"It doesn't matter," he says, avoiding the subject, "I'm just not going, that's all."

Before Austin can even begin to formulate his next sentence, the boy pushes his ear buds right back into his ears, blocking out all noise and signaling clearly that the conversation is over. Austin sighs and walks out of the room in defeat. But despite how wrong things had gone in his encounter, the boy still can't help the smirk growing on his face. To think, all those times that Bryan had acted like some big romance expect towards Austin's relationship, and it turns out he is completely clueless towards his own little crushes. That's pathetic. Austin needs to do something about that.

"How'd it go?" asks Ally hopefully once he catches up with her in the hallway.

"Not so good," the boy admits, "He completely denied that he liked Amanda."

"Oh, that's not good," the girl agrees in disgruntlement, "But I guess I sort of expected it to happen. We're going to have to come up with some plan to get them to admit that they like each other, without actually letting them know what we're doing."

Austin chuckles at Ally's cute form of manipulation, but his voice is quite serious when he replies. "How do you suppose we do that?" he asks her, his eyebrows raised.

Ally looks at the floor for quite a long time, chewing her hair as a million thoughts go rushing through her head. Austin's nearly certain that she's NEVER going to come up with an idea, when suddenly something happens. The girl raises her head, and inside her swirling pools of caramel that she calls eyes, Austin can see a visible spark. An idea.

"I know what to do!" Ally shouts with excitement, "I know how we can get them together!"

Austin smiles. This is bound to be good.

* * *

"I changed my mind! This is awful!"

The blond boy, tucked behind a bush with his brunette companion, is rubbing the back of his neck nervously. He bites his lip quickly and swallows a gulp in his throat.

"Oh, come on, Austin," the girl next to him responded, "It's a good idea! Don't be like that."

"Ally, honestly, do you really think this is a good idea? It's insane! It's never going to work!"

Ally rolls her eyes. "Trust me, Austin, my plan is flawless!"

A little while ago, Ally had found Amanda and told her to meet her near the fence at 4:30. At the same time, Austin had told Bryan the same thing. The plan, according to Ally, was to get the two of them to meet face-to-face. But of course, that wasn't all. With the two of them hidden in a bush behind the fence, Ally would secretly throw a dark, red rose at Amanda's feet. If all went well, she would pick it up and read the note that was attached to it. In thick, black letters it read "Will you go to the dance with me, Amanda?" Ally knew that Amanda would say yes, and when she did Bryan would know that she liked him the same way that he liked her. It was genius! Flawless! Perfect!

After a few minutes of bickering, the two children are forced to shut their mouths when they hear the slow, thudding sound of approaching footsteps. Ally peers through the leaves and branches and sees that it's Amanda. A few minutes later, Bryan appears, too. The two stand in silence for a few moments before one of them finally decides to speak up.

"Amanda?" Bryan asks, rubbing the back of his neck, "What are you doing here?"

"Ally told me to meet her here," Amanda replies, "What about you?"

"That's weird," Bryan says, "Austin asked me to meet him here, too. Do you think they were planning for all four of us to do something together?"

Before Amanda can respond and the two can figure out what's really going on, Ally pushes the rose through a hole in the fence. She knows that the sooner she gets this to happen, the better. So she holds her breath and watches as the flower flutters to the ground. Please, please let this work, she thinks to herself, please!

Ally watches Amanda's pale blue eyes look downwards when she feels the petals rub against her leg. The dark red catches her attention immediately, and in an instant she reaches her hand out and picks it up. Ally clenches her teeth as Amanda reads the attached note.

It seems like forever before the girl finally speaks up.

"Did you write this, Bryan?" she asks, confused, "It doesn't seem like your handwriting."

Ally's heart stops. This isn't how it was supposed to go at all. Oh no…

Bryan quickly scans the note, his eyebrows furrowed. "No," he slowly replies, "I didn't."

For a moment, the two teens are silent. Finally, Amanda opens her mouth.

"Austin and Ally?" she asks with a slight smirk on her pale face.

"Austin and Ally," replies the boy, mirroring her look of amusement. In a moment, the two of them are peering behind the bushes, laughing as their eyes catch the sight of a pair of terrified teens.

"Caught you…" whispers Bryan with a smile.

"Yes," Austin says with a gulp, "Yes you did."

* * *

"I can't believe how awful that turned out!"

Ally currently lies sprawled out on her bed, her eyes closed and her legs dangling off the side. She quickly pushes her hair back in frustration, releasing a huff of heavy air. Carrie, as friendly as she is, curls up next to her, whining as she senses her master's sadness.

"Oh come on, it wasn't THAT bad."

Austin stands near the window, eyeing Ally awkwardly with his hands behind his back. He doesn't know what to do. He's never really seen her upset before.

"Yes it was," the girl replies, "We totally embarrassed ourselves. And I bet we made it even MORE awkward between Amanda and Bryan. Now they'll never get together…"

Austin doesn't know how to respond to this. He just stands there nervously. He knows that she's right. What else can he say?

"Ugh," Ally moans into the silence, "I'm probably the worst matchmaker in the history of matchmakers."

"Awww, don't say that!" Austin replies desperately, "I'm sure there's someone worse."

Ally glares at him for a moment before throwing her head right back onto her mattress.

"This is great," she says sarcastically, "Just great."

For a long moment, the two just sit there in silence. Neither knows what to do. They just sit there, stuck inside their own minds. Finally, after what seems like forever, Austin speaks up. He just can't stand to see her like this.

"Look Ally," Austin whispers, walking up to her, "Don't be so hard on yourself. Everybody makes mistakes."

"Not mistakes that ruin their friends' relationships."

Austin shrugs. "Sometimes," he adds, "But you know what? It doesn't matter. Because mistakes don't define who a person is, it's their intentions and their effort."

The boy reaches out his hand and brushes the girl's hair out of her face. She laughs and pushes his hand away.

"You don't know what you're talking about," Ally responds, "That's the cheesiest thing I've ever heard." Her words say anger, but Austin can see the glint of happiness in her eyes. He knows whatever he's doing is working.

"On that scale," Austin continues, "You're the best person I know. You're smart and you're kind and you're just…. beautiful. Seriously, Ally, you're amazing and you shouldn't judge yourself just because you make a few mistakes every once in a while. Try to see yourself the way that I see you: perfect, and that's all."

For a moment, the girl is silent. Austin is sure that he can hear crickets in the background. Then, all the sudden, Ally bounces up from her bed and throws her arms around him, causing Austin to tense suddenly and Carrie to bark in surprise.

"Thank you, Austin," is all Ally can say, "You're the best. Honestly, I don't know what I would do without you. You're the nicest, sweetest boy ever and when I'm with you I just feel so accepted. I can't imagine having a better person by my side. And—"

Before Ally can finish, Austin presses his lips against hers. When he pulls apart, Ally smirks. In an instant she opens her mouth to respond.

"That's the nicest way anybody has ever told me to shut up."

* * *

It's around 9:30pm when Amanda finally comes back to her room. Austin left around an hour ago, and Ally has since been biding her time, waiting for the inevitable confrontation between the two. Well, here it is. It's time, whether or not she's ready for it.

"Hi Ally," is all Amanda says when she enters the room. Something is strange about her, Ally notices. There's a weird little glint in her eye. What's that all about?

The nervous brunette, who currently sits on her bed twiddling her thumbs, goes straight to the point. She's been anxious about this all day. Might as well get it over with.

"Look, Amanda," she says, "I'm sorry. I really am. I shouldn't have tried to get involved like that. I totally messed things up. I'm honestly so, so sorry. Please forgive me."

For a moment, everything is silent. And then the girl bursts out laughing.

"Ally!" Amanda shouts with a smile as wide as the moon stretched across her face, "You've got it all wrong! You fixed everything!"

"What!" Ally gasps, her mouth open wide, "What do you mean?"

Still chuckling, Amanda answers. "After you and Austin ran off, me and Bryan were just laughing about how crazy you two were. And then suddenly, out of nowhere, he just asks if I'd like to go the dance with him! He told me that your guys' flower trick was what gave him the courage to do it. He knew that even if I rejected him, he wouldn't be the biggest fool of the day. So, because of you, I have a date to the dance!"

"Oh my gosh!" Ally screams. She jumps up from the bed and wraps her arms around her roommate. "This is so great! I'm so proud of you!"

"I'm really excited!" Amanda admits, laughing at Ally's enthusiasm, "And it's all thanks to you!"

Ally ignores the show of gratitude and simply continues her babbling.

"Come on, Amanda," she shouts, "Let's go pick out our outfits! Tomorrow is going to be the best day ever!"

**So, what did you think? I know it was rushed, but overall I liked it. Sorry for the lack of auslly, but I really needed to write a chapter that wrapped up the whole "Brymanda" romance thing, so this is what I came up with. I figured it would be cute if Austin and Ally returned the whole "matchmaking" favor for those guys. Please review and tell me what you think :D**


	21. Day 20

**Here it is! The chapter you've all been waiting for: the dance! I really hope that you all enjoy it, considering the fact that this is the last eventful chapter. The actual last chapter will mostly just wrap things up. That's not to say that there won't be any auslly moments, though. I happen to have a very awesome auslly moment planned, that I'm sure you all will LOVE! Well, enough of this talking, start reading!**

**Btw, I do not own Austin and Ally, in case you didn't know :P. I also don't own "Got Your Heart" by Mitchell Musso (I shortened it a bit). Thanks to Midnightstar-and-Echosong for suggesting the song :D.  
**

_**Day 20**_

It started out just like any other day. A little sun, a little rain, a little wind. Mixing together like a pot of stew to create the wonderfully bland taste of weather on earth. To most, this morning would have been nothing special. Just a plain, happy summer day. But Ally knew that it was far from that. She could see past its flimsy little disguise. Today was going to much more than a normal day, and she was simply ecstatic about it.

The girl had woken up that morning with a wide smile stretched across her face. Her cheeks were tickled pink and her big, brown eyes were wide with excitement. Amanda was already up, still in her PJs, and eyeing her wardrobe with a look of discontentment on her face. Most of what was laid in front of her was an array of sci-fi based t-shirts and ripped skinny jeans. Nothing fancy, or even nice in the slightest. Apparently, the girl had not prepared herself for this dance. This concerned her roommate greatly.

"Hey Amanda," Ally yawned as she pulled herself from the bed, "What are you doing? Looking for something to wear to the dance?"

The girl nodded solemnly, slightly blushing at the idea of being caught in such a hopeless state. She watched as Ally stepped from her bed and made herself over to the girl's side.

"You don't have anything to wear?" Ally asked, looking over the pile. The look on Amanda's face was enough of an answer.

"Don't worry about it," the bouncing brunette replied, "I'll let you borrow something of mine. I'm sure you'll look great."

Amanda smiled and gave her a grateful look before continuing to put away her clothes, now knowing that she would no longer need any of it. After a minute or two of silence, Ally spoke up again.

"What time is it, anyway?" she asked with a yawn, rubbing her eyes.

"Like 10:00," replied Amanda as she glanced down at her knees, "I just woke up half an hour ago."

Ally nods, and then smiles as she thinks about all that awaits her on this day.

"The dance is going to be so fun!" she shouts suddenly, without warning, giggling at Amanda's surprised expression, "I can't wait!"

Amanda nods with a grin. "Well, then we should get the day started! Come one now, Bryan and I planned last night that we would all meet each other behind the camp at 11:00. Are you coming or not?"

* * *

For the hours that led up to the exciting event that was to come, Ally did not do much. She, Austin, Amanda, and Bryan all hung out near a broken section of the fence, talking lightly and tossing around a Frisbee or two. It was all they could think of to do that afternoon. Sure, it may have been the last full day of camp, but they were positive that the fun of the dance would make up for what little activity they had planned for the day. And besides, it was their last chance to hang out with each other as a group. Few could call that a waste of time.

For the entire conversation, Ally could do little but chat about the upcoming social gathering. It was part of her nature to babble, even more so because she was excited, and soon all three of her companions were forced to tune her out.

"I get that you're excited, Ally," Austin had told her with a laugh as they had munched on a few hamburgers for lunch, "But do you really need to talk about it THIS much? Lets try to talk about something else for a little while, it'll make the time go by a lot faster."

Ally had nodded and agreed, yet five minutes later she was back to discussing what she would wear for the night. Austin had rolled his eyes with amusement, but did not stop her. Somehow, she looked even cuter when she was obsessing over something.

Eventually, the time did pass, and the boys and the girls were forced to separate. Amanda and Ally went to their room, nearly skipping with excitement, and as the door swung shut Ally released a happy, girlish shriek.

"Only an hour left!" she said, jumping up and down on the spot, "Oh, it's going to be so fun!"

"I bet it will be," Amanda had replied, smirking slightly, "But we'll never know unless we actually manage to pick out our outfits and GO to it. So what are you waiting for? Let's get started."

It takes forty-five minutes for the girls to finally find what they are to wear. Neither, of course, had packed anything fancy when they had come here—as this was a camp, after all—but Ally did find a few nice skirts and blouses tucked away in the back of her suitcase. She had picked out something to wear herself, with a few smart comments from Amanda, and then helped her roommate out by designing an entirely new look for her. After doing both their makeup, Ally had them stand in front of a mirror so she could smile at her project. In her opinion, they both looked absolutely stunning.

Ally, herself, wore a yellow, tucked-in blouse, which was paired with a flowing, red skirt. She carried a matching yellow handbag and in her hair were the exact same butterfly barrettes she had worn on her first day of classes. With a light layer of natural makeup, Ally felt she did quite a nice job. Her favorite part of her outfit, however, were her tall, golden shoes. They were high-heels and had been a gift passed down from her mother. Sure, they were old, but in Ally's opinion they were absolutely beautiful. She couldn't wait for Austin to see them!

When it came to Amanda's look, Ally was even prouder. Not only did she make her look great, but she did it in a way that still showed Amanda's personality. She had dressed the poor girl in a beautiful, lacy top the color of shining, metallic blue. Her skirt was a pasty white, and up to her knees in length. Matched with blue flats and a plain, white barrette in her hair, the girl nearly glowed. It was mostly because Ally had been so used to seeing her roommate in just a t-shirt and jeans that she was so stunned to see how she looked in something more. By the time she had finished with her masterpiece, Ally had not hesitated to move Amanda in front of the mirror and watch as a look of pleasure spread across her face. Now, right next to her, Ally happily accepted the girl's compliments.

"Wow, Ally," Amanda said, stunned, "You did an amazing job with us! You're a natural! Wow, just wow. Thank you."

Ally beamed at her, grabbing onto her arm and squeezing tightly.

"The boys are gonna be here any minute now," Ally said with a twinkle in her eye, "And I can just guarantee that Bryan is going to think that you look beautiful."

* * *

Sure enough, thirty minutes later Amanda and Ally are both at the dance, happily accompanied by Bryan and Austin. The party, packed with nearly every kid in the camp, is taking place in the cafeteria, the only room big enough to hold so many children. The tables have all been moved out of the way, only a few left in the corner to hold plates of food. A blue banner, inscribed with the words "Last Day of Camp Dance," hangs inconspicuously in front of the doorway. Behind it, Ally can see a whole array of different colored streamers and strange lighting. The tables have all been covered with blue tablecloths and in the background a form of loud, popular music is beating to the tune of the girl's own heart. She smiles. She can already tell that she won't be disappointed.

Within a few minutes, Amanda and Bryan already get separated from Austin and Ally, and now the two teens have some time alone.

"You really do look beautiful, Ally," Austin whispers to his date as they walk around for a little while. He links his arm with hers, and Ally blushes.

"Thanks Austin," she whispers back, "You look great too. I just know we're going to have such a great time tonight."

"Me too," Austin says to her, his voice loud as he tries to be heard above the music.

Ally smiles at the boy, as happy as ever, but already something is tugging at the back of her mind. Her long heels, though quite attractive, are turning out to be very uncomfortable. She flinches slightly as she takes each step, and receives a pinch in her ankle. Just deal with it, the girl tells herself as she continues to walk, it's nothing. Just deal with it, and you can still have a great time tonight.

After a minute or two of polite, slightly-awkward small talk, Austin decides to speak up. "Want to get something to eat?" he asks her, "There's a desert table somewhere over there."

Ally nods, focusing on the rumbling of her stomach, and Austin agrees with her. As the girl looks over to where the food is, however, she suddenly looses her appetite. It's all the way on the other side of the room. And the room is LONG.

"Uh… actually, never mind," Ally says suddenly, her mind on her already aching feet, "I'm good… lets just stay here."

"Oh, come on Ally," Austin says with a grin, tugging her arm, "If you're hungry, it's not a problem. Let's go."

Unable to resist, Ally follows him. She forces a smile on her face, despite the fact that each step she takes is like the stab of a knife. What's wrong with these shoes?

After getting something to eat, the two continue to walk and talk for a little while. Ally pretends to be enjoying it, but on the inside she's nearly screaming. It strings so badly, still she is determined not to make a scene out of it. She has to stay strong. She can do this!

Suddenly, in the midst of a conversation between the two teenagers, the music in the background changes, and Ally nearly shrieks from excitement.

"Ohh, I love this song!" the girl screams to Austin, "It's my favorite!"

The boy raises his eyebrows mischievously. "Want to dance, then?" he asks her. For a moment, Ally is unsure. The pain in her heels is getting worse. Much worse. But of course, she ends up nodding. She can't let a little thing like that ruin her night. And besides, this IS a dance, after all. So why not dance?

And so, intent on being happy, Ally follows reluctantly as Austin leads her to the dance floor. She forces a smile on her face as Austin takes her by the hand and they begin to dance.

**_I've been makin' my way downtown._**

**_You've been waiting for me to come get you._**

**_I know just where you wanna go (I know)._**

**_I love it when we're together._**

**_You know that we could drive forever._**

**_Let's go to the place we only know._**

Ally tries hard to indulge herself into the music. Or to focus just on the feel of Austin's strong, warm hand against her own. But it's hard. These heels obviously were not the best choice for tonight. Her feet are screaming.

**_Me and you, we're gonna get away_**

**_To see those city lights._**

**_Make our way through the promenade,_**

**_And we're gonna dance all night!_**

**_Come on!_**

Oh gosh, Ally thinks to herself as she clenches her teeth, why does this hurt so badly? Austin takes her by the arms and spins her around, and the pain only worsens. For a moment, despite common logic, she's certain that a snake has somehow crawled into her shoe and is now biting away at her foot. Still, she tries hard to distract herself from the pain.

**_Whose got your heart, got your heart baby?_**

**_Whose got your heart, got your heart baby?_**

**_Whose got your heart, got your heart baby tonight!_**

**_I've got your heart baby!_**

Austin pulls the girl close to his chest, and Ally does all in her power not to cry out in pain as her heel digs even further into her shoe. Come on, Ally thinks to herself, the song is almost over! Just deal with it!

**_I've been waitin' to see you again,_**

**_Hopin' this time it will never end._**

**_Just call and say you wanna go._**

**_Me and you gonna get away_**

**_To see those city lights._**

**_Make our way through the promenade_**

**_And we're gonna dance all night!_**

**_Come on!_**

She gasps as another strike of pain hits her feet. She's not so sure how much longer this can go on.

**_Whose got your heart, got your heart baby?_**

**_Whose got your heart, got your heart baby?_**

**_Whose got your heart, got your heart baby tonight!_**

**_I got it, I got it!_**

Ally can't take it anymore. She just can't. Suddenly, to the surprise of her companion, she pulls away from his grasp. He just stands there in shock, watching hopelessly as she scurries over to one of the tables. Now he's alone on the dance floor. And hopelessly confused.

**_I can see you and me,_**

**_Dancin' free under the glow._**

**_Take my hand, it's our chance,_**

**_We'll never stop,_**

**_Let's go!_**

The last words of the song nearly mock the boy. All the other couples around him are dancing with each other, laughing and smiling as they hold onto each other for dear life. And then there's him. Standing here alone, with a not-very-attractive look of shock plaguing his face. As fast as he can, the boy scurries off the dance floor.

Before long, he finds Ally sitting on the floor near on of the tables, struggling with the strap of her shoe.

"Ally, what happened?" he asks her, slightly annoyed yet far more concerned, "Are you alright?"

The girl looks at him and quickly nods. He can see in her eyes that she's quite upset.

"I'm sorry Austin," she whispers to him solemnly, "It's just that my feet were KILLING me. I couldn't take it out there anymore."

For a moment, Austin is silent.

"Why didn't you just tell me, then?" he asks, confused.

Ally blushes and looks down sheepishly. "I didn't want to ruin the night by complaining," she answers, "I thought if I told you I would spoil the fun."

After about five seconds of a stunned look, Austin tilts his head backwards and bursts out laughing.

"Ally, that's no reason at all. Trust me, you can tell me everything. Now take those shoes off, I want to take a look."

Austin helps her pull the sticks off her feet, and as soon as he does so he flinches at the sight. Her feet are covered in blisters. Bright red and stinging, it's no wonder Ally is feeling so much pain.

"Wow, Ally," he says, concern edging his voice, "How did this happen? Let me see your shoes."

The girl hands them over, and the boy inspects their souls. After a few minutes of searching, he finally finds the culprit.

"I know why this happened," he explains, as if he's just made a groundbreaking scientific discovery, "The soft and squishy part, where you're supposed to put your feet, is gone. It must have torn out or something. The part below that is like sandpaper! No wonder you have blisters!"

Ally moans. "Of course!" she says, "I'm so stupid. I noticed that, but I thought they were made that way. I didn't realize they were broken."

"Wait here," Austin says, not listening to her angry words, "I'll go to the nurse and get some bandages. Don't move while I'm gone."

"I'm not going anywhere," Ally says with a faint smile as the boy runs off, "It's not like I can just get up and start dancing again."

* * *

Ten minutes later, Austin returns. He's carrying a handful of little Band-Aids and some strange, clear cream. He begins to apply it to the damaged areas.

"This might hurt a little," he warns her as he begins to rub the disinfectant on her blisters. She flinches slightly, but otherwise remains still.

"You know," she tells him, "If this didn't sting so much, it would practically feel like you were giving me a foot rub."

Austin chuckles and continues to rub on the cream. When he's done, he quickly bandages up both feet so that none of the sore, red spots are showing.

"Feel any better?" he asks her once he finishes off. She nods.

"Yeah… thanks Austin," she tells him guiltily, "I'm sorry I made us waste so much time with this. This night has turned into a real bust…"

Austin shakes his head, looking into the girl's beautiful, dark eyes. Gosh, she's so hypnotizing.

"Come on, Ally," he tells her, "Tonight's no bust. We still have plenty of time left."

Ally shakes her head sadly, biting her lower lip.

"No, we don't," she answers, "I can't put those shoes on again, Austin. I'm going to just have to walk back to my room and rest my feet. I can't do anything… this is my fault. I'm really sorry."

Austin laughs and shakes his head. "Ally," he tells her kindly, "I remember the first time we came here you told me that as long as we were together, we could have a great time. And, as it turns out, you were right. I've had an amazing summer with you, and it's all because of your positive attitude. So, come on, get up. I think there's a slow song playing next. Leave the shoes, you can dance barefoot."

Ally looks up at him as if he were crazy. The boy loves that look.

"Austin!" she exclaims, "This is a formal party! I can't just dance barefoot!"

Austin hands her one of his famous, movie star smiles. "Watch me," he says to her, as he strips off his shoes and socks, "I'm going to dance out there all by myself, without shoes or anything. I'm going to look ridiculous. Eventually you'll feel so bad that you'll HAVE to dance with me!"

Ally giggles. "You wouldn't," she says through the spurts of laughter.

"I'll show you," he replies with a smile.

"Please don't."

"I will."

"No you won't."

"I'm going now."

"Liar."

"I may be lying, but are you willing to take that risk?"

"Yes."

"Really?"

"Fine!" Ally finally shouts, nearly falling over with her silent giggles, "I'll dance with you. Gosh, you can be so needy sometimes."

Austin laughs at the girl's joking tone and goes to pick her up, bridal style.

"What are you doing?" she exclaims as she's lifted from the floor, "What is this?"

"You don't expect me to let you walk like that, do you?" he asks with a smile, "Now come on, let's dance."

Once on the dance floor, Austin puts her down. Just as he expected, a slow song begins to play next.

Austin takes his hands and puts one on Ally's waist, and the other between her fingers. He holds her body close, feeling her breath against his neck. He's never felt so tingly in his entire life.

"Anything hurting?" he asks her, smiling at the sweet scent of her hair.

"Nope, not at all," she replies honestly, smiling right back. Now that her feet aren't killing her, she can REALLY focus on the closeness and warmth between them. Wow, it feels so good. Just... right. She's 'ought to do this more often.

Slowly, the two begin to move closer and Ally begins to lean her head on the boy's shoulder. It's nice and warm, and it's almost as if it were made for her.

For a moment, the girl looks to the side and see's Bryan and Amanda dancing together on the other side of the room. They're practically in the same position as Austin and Ally, holding each other close as they sway side to side. Amanda looks so gorgeous in this light… and so happy. Ally smiles. Today really is the best day ever, isn't it.

"Did I ever tell you how cute your feet are?" Austin remarks jokingly in a whisper as he glances downwards. Ally giggles.

"I don't think so," she answers with a smile, her eyes closed as her head still rests next to his, "But it's good to hear."

For a few minutes, there is comfortable silence between them. All that's heard is the soft, romantic sound of the music playing behind them.

Suddenly, Austin speaks up. "Oh, and Ally?" he whispers, "There's something else I think I might have forgotten to tell you."

"What's that?" she asks, not fully paying attention. Only focusing on the slow, soothing beat of his pulse.

"Oh, it's nothing," he answers, "You probably don't want to hear it anyway."

"No, I do," she answers honestly, "Tell me."

Austin smiles, knowing this would be her response. "You sure?" he asks her gently.

"Yes. Tell me."

"Okay, here it is."

The boy opens his mouth, and in one simple flick of the tongue, the three most important words of his life escape his lips.

"I love you."

**So, what did you think? I feel a little bad about this chapter, honestly. It's super rushed, which would be okay if this weren't such an important chapter. know I could have made it a lot better if I had had less homework and more time to write. But still, it's not horrible, so here it is. I really really really REALLY hope you liked it :). If you haven't yet, please review!**

**Btw, if I wrote a sequel, would you guys all read it? I have some news about that, which it'll share with you all next chapter ;). **


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